Dust And Bones
by Majokai Yukiko
Summary: CHAP 6 UP The WEAPONs have reappeared. An old enemy returns. Will their love last through it all? Zack Sephiroth
1. Author's Notes

Author's Note:   
  
Horrors of horrors! I have been hunted down by the FFNet search dog...they took my R fics off the main archive!! Damn...*sobs* well, you guys can still get to access it over on the author's profile page, or if you especially go search for it, you can still find it..but that is if you do...*whimpers*  
  
Go read my other LXG fics...I spent time on those and I hate it when it's not appreciated...esp now that it had been torn off the freaking archive!  
  
I'm not sure if they will put me back on the mai n archive after I make myself to be a good girl and lower and rating with this BIG FAT warning in front...still trying anyway...  
  
So, there are sex scenes in this story...in my opinion, not very explicit but unfortunately, my opinion doesn't exactly count...*grumbles* If you can't stand Male/Male slash sex scenes, then get out of the way...if FFNet still refused to put me back up, then I'll say, go check out my fics on my own webpage. The url can be found on my author's profile. Go on, you know you want to... 


	2. Prologue

Dust and Bones | Prologue  
  
A FFVII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko  
  
  
  
This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft.  
  
This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive.  
  
Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth, for now.  
  
Warnings: Shounen-ai, angst.  
  
  
  
I'll be loving you forever  
  
Deep inside my heart you'll live and ever  
  
Even if you took my heart and tore it apart  
  
1 I will love you still forever  
  
Mideel was a tired small town, with a small population and little happenings to spice up the lives of the townspeople. It was probably for the best though, Cloud thought, once again glad that Tifa had managed to convinced him into taking a vacation. Alone.  
  
It was only a week since the final battle, a week since he had stopped Sephiroth from calling on Meteor and destroying the Planet. But somehow, instead of the relief and joy that he should feel, it was fatigue…and the need to understand the clenching in his heart whenever he recalled the events from long ago.  
  
Aeris…the sweet little flower girl who sacrificed her life for the Planet. The only one who tried to tell him about his artificial memories without hurting him. But she died. By Sephiroth's hands. The lovely green eyes that had reminded him so much of…no, he would not go into that right now. Mideel would certainly be a good place for him to rearrange his thoughts and relax.  
  
"Hey!" Cloud turned around, wondering for a moment as to who the petite little girl in the nurse uniform was.  
  
"You remember me?" The nurse asked, smiling cheekily. Cloud shook his head truthfully, all the while trying to match the face with anyone in his memories.  
  
"I don't blame you, you were down with a serious case of Mako poisoning when Doc and I found you."  
  
Ahh…so that's it. The kind doctor and his assistant who had found him after he fell into the Lifestream…after he gave the Black Materia to…  
  
"I'm sorry I can't remember you. Anyway, how's life?"  
  
The young woman shrugged. "It's alright, I guess. But there's this other guy that got washed up a couple of days ago. Like you, Mako poisoning, but somewhat more serious. A pity though…he's kinda cute."  
  
"Really?" Cloud answered, beginning to get bored with the conversation. "I'm here for a vacation, see ya around."  
  
"Sure! See ya!"  
  
Cloud waved a good-bye before walking towards the inn. Mako poisoning? Who is it this time? He wondered.  
  
***  
  
He could feel a gentle voice behind him, slowly pushing his wheelchair as she spoke, telling him about the weather that morning. His long silver hair was tied neatly into a ponytail, green Mako eyes staring into space without blinking or any sort of recognition in those eyes. Nobody here knew who he was, or what he had done. Nobody but himself.  
  
The scene replayed itself over and over again in his mind. He saw himself smirk as he pushed the Masamune deeper into Zack's body. There was shock in the other man's eyes, disbelief and…love…  
  
Love, for a creature like him. For the monster who had thought himself as God…  
  
Why? How could you love somebody as worthless as me?  
  
He could feel poison running through his veins, an overdose of Mako energy in him, taking away his life bit by bit. Slow, painful death. What else had he expected? He had betrayed the only person who had accepted him the way he was. Death…was too easy for him.  
  
I had died when I killed you, my love. I'll see you soon…but…will you still want me back?  
  
"Sephiroth?" The Shinra general turned around, unaware of the tear streaks running down his cheeks as Zack made his way across the room quickly, pulling his lover into an embrace.  
  
"Zack? What's wrong?"  
  
The dark-haired man pulled back a little, brushing the tears away from that beautiful face before bringing his fingers down to trace gently along the soft pink lips.  
  
"Why are you crying, Seph?" Sephiroth shook his head, smiling slightly as he pushed the bangs away from his face.  
  
"I was just thinking about us…and…" The look on his lover's face urged him to continue. "And about how long this would last…"  
  
"Forever and a day, Seph. That's what I promised."  
  
"And don't ever break that one. I'll die if you leave me. I…"  
  
"Can't break it, love, not something so strong…"  
  
"There's no need to cry," the nurse took out a handkerchief from her pockets, wiping away the tears. She sighed. "I wish I know what you are thinking of, if you are thinking at all." She rotated the wheelchair and made her way back to the clinic.  
  
"Tell you what, I'll bring to this friend of mine tomorrow. He'd got Mako poisoning before, and recovered. Perhaps he could help you."  
  
Perhaps he couldn't. Sephiroth had wanted to say, had his body permits him to speak. Or perhaps…I don't want him to.  
  
***  
  
"What's wrong?" Cloud asked, trying to catch his breath back after being dragged out of the house at…a look at his watch confirmed the timing…4.30 in the morning.  
  
"Remember the guy I told you about yesterday, the one with Mako poisoning?" Cloud nodded. "I need your help with him. He…" The nurse paused, letting go of Cloud's hand to search for the keys in her pocket.  
  
"He cried yesterday. You'd got Mako poisoning before, so I was thinking if you could help me." Blue Mako eyes widened in shock. Being poisoned only meant that your brain could no longer send messages to the rest of your body for it to operate properly. But to be able to cry…what could he be thinking about?  
  
"There he is." Cloud followed the direction the finger was pointing to, only to freeze in shock when he recognized the man on the wheelchair.  
  
"Sephiroth?"  
  
***  
  
"Anyone would assume that Sephiroth, the General of the Shinra Army, is a cold, heartless man with no feelings, and no qualms about killing; a man who is unable to love anyone else. But here I am, standing before the man himself, seeing a different picture all together."  
  
"Oh?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "How different?"  
  
The SOLDIER smiled. "I see a man who is not only capable of loving, I see a lost child deprived of love, hope and friendship."  
  
"Love, hope and friendship?" The General laughed. "How's that going to be important to me?"  
  
"Because that's exactly what I'm going to give you."  
  
"Z…Zac…" The nurse gasped, as she heard her patient speak something after three full days of silence.  
  
"Sephiroth?" The look on Cloud's face was unreadable. It was a mixture of hope, fear, guilt, and at the same time, relief. The blond man moved a step closer, kneeling down slightly to place a hand on Sephiroth's pale face.  
  
Oh my God, it's really him.  
  
"Cloud?" He turned around, smiling reassuringly at the nurse. "Where's Doc? I think I need to talk to him about my…friend."  
  
***  
  
Fingers twitched slightly as eyelids struggled to open. His long dark hair floated messily in the green liquid his body was immersed in. The monitor next to the glass capsule beeped with an erratic rhythm as the man inside clenched his fists, his brain trying to process his current predicament.  
  
  
  
Where am I? Zack questioned mentally. Being encased in another lab capsule was never his idea of heaven. It was never his idea of hell either.  
  
  
  
Where else could I be? I'm dead, right?  
  
  
  
He slowly brought his hands up, placing his palms on the cold surface of his liquid prison. Squinting his eyes, Zack struggled to take in the environment beyond the glass.  
  
The Shinra mansion library? Why am I back here again?  
  
  
  
Hojo? Impossible, as great a scientist as he was, he could never bring a dead man back to life. But then again, with Hojo, anything could be possible.  
  
"Seph?" Fingers unconsciously moved down to trace at the wound at his abdomen. A reminder of love betrayed and promises broken.  
  
A tear rolled from his eyes to join his green surroundings, as he waited.  
  
***  
  
"Hell! Cloud! You explain yourself right now! What the %$^&# is this thing about Sephiroth being alive?!" Cid's gruff voice came yelling across the PHS as Cloud made an effort not to wince while holding the device further away from his ear.  
  
"Okay, you don't have to shout! Don't remind me that we killed him. I was there, remember? Sliced him up, TWICE!" Cloud took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "Just get the Highwind II over here, kay? I don't think the guy can handle a rough ride on the Chocobo. Please? I'll explain things when you're here."  
  
"You have got lots of explaining to do when I get there." And the connection was off.  
  
Cloud sighed, clipping his PHS back onto his belt and turned towards the other man in the room.  
  
"Good morning, Sephiroth." Green eyes continued staring into deep space, lost in a world of their own. Cloud smiled sadly.  
  
"The greatest General of all times, reduced to a mere invalid whose life depends on my whim." It frightened him, the power he now had over this man who had destroyed his hometown, killed his best friend and manipulated his mind as he pleased.  
  
"Professor Hojo, please…give me a number!"  
  
But I had wanted it, didn't I? A question to ponder on later, but now, he would just concentrate on bringing this man back onto his feet.  
  
"Zac…Zack…" A tear ran down his beautiful face, as he continued to mourn for his dead lover.  
  
"Shh, don't cry," Cloud put his arms lovingly around his ex-nemesis, pressing his cheeks onto Sephiroth's cold one. "He forgives you, Sephiroth. He really did. All that five years we spent in the lab, he told me all about you, Sephiroth. He never blamed you for all that you've done, Sephiroth."  
  
Why am I doing this?  
  
"Hey, Spike?" Zack grinned weakly as he leant against the glass wall the two cells had shared.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I don't know what you are thinking of right now, but don't blame Seph, kay?"  
  
"I don't know; you were that one who got stabbed."  
  
"And you were the one whose hometown got destroyed. Look, Spike, Seph always have got a good reason for doing anything. He never had a family to talk about, and this time…well, he just snapped." A forced shrug as Zack placed his hand over his torso, determined not to whimper at the memory of that wound there.  
  
"When you get out, Spike, promise me, tell Seph…I never hate him." I don't want him to live the rest of his life in guilt.  
  
"You love him." It was a statement, not a question in need of an answer.  
  
A nod. "And I know you do too." Zack waited for a protest, but there was none. He turned around, smiling slightly when he saw the boy asleep with fatigue evident on his face.  
  
"Spike, if I die, love him for me. He needs humanity, much as he denies it, he craves for it more than anyone of us do."  
  
Keep him sane for me, Spike.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, you there!" Young Sephiroth looked back with a raised eyebrow, not at all expecting a fist aimed squarely at his jaw. Reflectively, he reached for his attacker, hand clasped around his throat and pinned him to the ground.  
  
Surprisingly, instead of the hostility he had expected to see, the young boy, no older than him, gave him a cheeky smirk in reply.  
  
"Nice to meet ya, Seph! Oh, by the way, the name's Zack!"  
  
***  
  
"You see that boy over there, the one with white hair, that's Professor Hojo's son." Students all over the academy were whispering about the new celebrity that had entered the academy with top scores in all that tests he had taken: Sephiroth, son of the head of the Shinra Scientific Research Faculty.  
  
There was awe in their voices, envy in their eyes, and disgust in their minds. Whether or not he had entered with true abilities or by pulling strings, they had no idea. The Principal could have allowed him to enter at the value of his father's reputation. And even if that had not helped, certainly the pretty face had. It was no secret regarding President Shinra's sexual orientation, and the SOLDIER academy, was directly under the President after all.  
  
The said boy stood alone at the end of the playground, eyes roaming and observing the other children around, engrossed in their games. There was nobody who wanted to play with him.  
  
Nobody at all.  
  
"Hi!" Sephiroth threw a glance at the dark haired boy who had given him a bruised jaw the day before. Rolling his eyes, he began to make his way back to the dormitories.  
  
"Hey, I called you!"  
  
"I've heard." But he did not slow down his pace of walking.  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday, 'kay? That was the only way to get your attention." Now that made Sephiroth pause and looked back at the boy.  
  
"Am I…am I really that hard to get along?"  
  
"You bet! Brr…all that 'stay away from me or I'll summon Shiva' crap! What d'ya think?" Zack placed a casual hand on his hip and rest his weight on one foot, not making any effort to close the distance between the two of them.  
  
Sephiroth cast his eyes on the grass under his feet. "I see…"  
  
"Argh, that's not…fine!" With three large strides, Zack stopped right in front of the white-haired boy, placed his thumbs at each edge of his lips and forced them to turn upwards comically.  
  
"There! That's better! Now stay like that all day."  
  
The two boys remained in silence for a while, staring into each other's eyes before bursting into laughter.  
  
"That…" Sephiroth laughed, wiping the tears away from his eyes. "…was the dumbest thing I've ever done in my entire lifetime!"  
  
"And you stayed like that for a full minute!! With that stupid look on your face!!!" Zack added.  
  
Time stopped for the rest of the world as the two boys struggled to regain a neutral expression on their faces. Nobody had expected the stoic Sephiroth to laugh, much less to share a joke with someone else.  
  
***  
  
A soft smile distended his face as Zack recalled the happier memories he had shared with his best friend, and later, his lover. He needed to hold on to these for as long as he could, until dreams became nightmares.  
  
***  
  
Sephiroth had his back facing the door when Zack returned to the room they shared. The white-haired man stood tensely, knuckles white from grabbing the windowsills too tightly.  
  
"Seph?" Zack asked tentatively. Despite of what Sephiroth himself had thought; the man was never good had hiding his feelings. Right now, Zack could practically see the storm blowing in his angel's mind, waiting for the right time to strike.  
  
"Seph, are you alright?" Zack approached the silent figure carefully, putting a comforting hand over the tortured knuckles. "Stop squeezing the breath of these windows, Seph, you're hurting yourself."  
  
"I'm alright. Don't worry about me, Zack. There's no need to." The tone was guarded, as if he had something else to say, but not quite daring to voice it out loud.  
  
"Zack?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Where were you today? I didn't see you at training."  
  
Shit. Zack thought, rummaging through his brain for a suitable lie. He could not tell Sephiroth that he missed SOLDIER training to sneak out to the slums, just to meet a girl he had known for barely a week. He would take it all the wrong way round, Zack reasoned. He would believe that I have something going on with Aeris, convince himself of his worthlessness. Again.  
  
"I…I…was at Midgar." Better to stick as close to the truth as possible.  
  
"I see. Doing what?"  
  
Shitshitshitshitshit!  
  
"Huh? Oh, I was…I was visiting a friend."  
  
"Ah. Of course you had other friends. I was just another number on the list." He muttered, more to himself than to Zack.  
  
"Seph?"  
  
"How old is she?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The friend you visited today, that sweet-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes."  
  
"I…I don't know."  
  
His lover turned around and studied his face, watching him as his dark eyes flicked uncomfortably around the room, searching for something to focus on. Anything but the look of pain, hurt and guilt in Sephiroth's eyes. As far as Sephiroth was concerned, this was the worst combination anyone could come up with.  
  
"I see." No, you don't! "I…get some sleep, Zack. It must have been a tiring day for you."  
  
Not as bad as yours, Seph. Zack mused, knowing fully well that Hojo would be at the base tomorrow to run a monthly check on his 'darling' son and there was nothing he or Sephiroth could do about it.  
  
***  
  
Building the friendship between them was never smooth. It took Zack long enough for Sephiroth to open up, and it had taken him even longer to get the General to recognize some worth in himself. Every time after Sephiroth finally managed to acknowledge his achievement, a fallback, a slight show of weakness or an insult would bring them back to square one.  
  
"You're not God, Sephy! I make mistakes, you make mistakes, the whole Goddamned world is a mistake!" Zack yelled, fingers running through his hair out of irritation and frustration.  
  
"But my mistake caused the death of five troopers!"  
  
"So what?! We are fighting a bleedin' war over here with Hojo's precious Mako reactors! Accidents happen; people die. But I'm alive and you're alive, and that's all that bloody matters to me!"  
  
"You don't understand." The white-haired man slumped wearily onto the floor, pulling his knees up and hugging them close to his chest. It was getting difficult for him to continue in this pretense of life. Too many masks to put on; too many facades donned. He was tired of this life, this world, and himself.  
  
"Of course I don't understand! I don't understand you and your fuckin' obsession for perfection and Godhood!"  
  
***  
  
Yes, everybody made mistakes in some time or another of their lives, however short it might be. But some mistakes were lethal, and Zack paid for that one all too well.  
  
It was his fault. He should have noticed the haunted look in those beautiful green eyes after they fought the dragon on the way to Nibelheim. He should have seen how confused and upset Sephiroth was when they arrived at the inn. Zack had insisted on accompanying Sephiroth on this particular mission, despite his health condition after the previous mission botched up. He should never have left his lover alone in the library, desperately trying to sort out the confusion in his mind.  
  
He should have known better. He could have steered Sephiroth away from the brink and bring him over to the safe side before he snapped. But he failed.  
  
***  
  
"Come on, Sephiroth, you've got to eat." Cloud patiently nudged the spoon into the other man's mouth, feeding him with the plain porridge he had prepared himself.  
  
The entire scene was too disturbing for Cid. He had seen the same scene before, when Tifa and him found Cloud in Mideel, down with an almost fatal case of Mako poisoning. Tifa had left their little group for some time, devoting her time to taking care of the blond man. It was a tough job, testing on both the physical and the mental. For Tifa, it was love for Cloud that had provided her with the patience to take care of the sick man. What about this case? What could Cloud be thinking of when he asked Cid to bring him and his ex-nemesis, sick or well, back to the Shinra mansion, where Cloud had made home after the white-haired man supposedly died.  
  
The pilot turned away and focused his attention to maneuver Highwind II into a safe landing. Somehow, he would rather keep his suspicions instead of having them confirmed by Cloud.  
  
"I'll leave you here then, Cloud."  
  
Cloud stood up, placing the now empty bowl on the table next to him.  
  
"I know what questions you have, Cid. I'm doing this…for a friend, as a friend. I made a promise to Zack…one that I'm planning to honor…now that he's…gone…" The middle-aged man nodded. He had not understood it all. But it was enough.  
  
At least for now.  
  
***  
  
The mansion was in the same state when he had last left it. Monsters still lurked silently in the basement; spiders scurried across the wood above when they entered. Cloud gingerly wiped the dust off his hands after feeling his way along the wall for the light switch. He had not bothered to clean up the house when he lived alone. But things were different now.  
  
"Spike, if I die, love him for me. He needs humanity, much as he denies it, he craves for it more than anyone of us do."  
  
Keep him sane for me, Spike.  
  
Zack never begged him for anything. That was the only time, and Cloud had promised. He had broken too many vows in his entire life; another one to add to the list would not make a difference. But for a friend he had never had, for a teenage crush he had on the man who could never be his, he have got to keep this one. No matter how painful it was.  
  
Light flooded the living room with a 'snap'.  
  
Green eyes remained dull and calm on the outside as Sephiroth slowly took in his surroundings. Home at last. He thought. This was the place where he was made, born, and trained. This was where he had discovered the truth behind Jenova and where he had found, what he thought, was the opportunity to prove his worth.  
  
"Home…home…" The ex-General murmured. Pale hands gripped the sides of his wheelchair tightly, his body struggling to fight the weakness the poison was doing to his body. He can't stay here! He wanted to scream. He could not stay in the one place that had so much to offer him, too much guilt, too much pain, and too much…memories…  
  
"SEPHIROTH?!" Cloud exclaimed, running to stop the other man from causing harm to himself. He stroked his hand gently on the soft white hair, trying to calm Sephiroth down with whispered words. "It's okay, Sephiroth. I'm here. Let's go up, 'kay?"  
  
A slight jerk of his wheelchair brought renewed panic to the man. No, I don't want to stay here! His heart pounded painfully against his ribcage. Cloud still had one hand on his shoulder, trying to sooth him.  
  
I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE, CAN'T YOU SEE?!  
  
…no…  
  
………no…  
  
……………NO!  
  
A weak sound of protest was made as Cloud continued to carry the chair together with Sephiroth up the steps, not understanding what was it about the Shinra mansion that had caused the unrest in the white-haired man's mind.  
  
He barely had the time to react when a stray cat came running towards them from the top of the steps, curling its warm body around his ankles before the men-chair entity came tumbling down the stairs.  
  
"Damn cat…" Cloud complained, his hand reaching to the back of his head to massage the newly formed bump there. "Sephiroth?" He asked, looking around for the man. Blue Mako eyes widened in fright when he saw the said ex- general unconscious on the first step, lying in a puddle of blood forming quickly around his head.  
  
***  
  
I was here before. That was the first thought on his mind as he surveyed the calm forest around him.  
  
"Never thought I'd see you here." He turned around, shock evident on his face when he saw a girl with light brown hair standing behind him. She was beautiful in her own sweet way, demure but strong-willed, with green eyes so much like his own.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
  
The girl paused for a moment, teeth gritting slightly as if to regain control of her own emotions. The forest was silent, with the slight scent of pinewood in the light breeze. He closed his eyes and smiled, relaxing himself in the serenity of his surroundings.  
  
"Aeris." She replied. He nodded, not knowing what to say to the girl he found strangely familiar.  
  
Sephiroth!  
  
He snapped up at the distant cry. Who was it? Aeris smiled and offered her hand to him, a gesture of acceptance and friendship. It was weird, with how little he knew of the girl but yet; there was this little part within him who craved for that gesture.  
  
"Wake up from this dream, Sephiroth. Your lover's waiting for you on the other side."  
  
"Wake up? How?"  
  
Sephiroth!  
  
"Like how you always do." How he always did? Yes, a warm body next to him, soft breathing by his ear as he opened his eyes to be greeted with a kiss, the gentle hazel eyes waiting for provide him with the courage to get past the day…  
  
***  
  
The image faded as quickly as it came, as Sephiroth became aware of the pain in his head. He grimaced slightly, resisting the urge to touch his head to make sure that it had not cracked open in several areas.  
  
Eyelids fluttered open slowly, getting used to the sunlight streaming into the room through the crack in the curtains. Sharp green eyes darted around the room as a habit, trying to make sense of his current situation. A nurse stood on the left side of his bed, smiling at him nervously. And on the right side?  
  
"Sephiroth? You alright?" A blond man with bright blue eyes asked worriedly. But Sephiroth could not recognize him.  
  
Sephiroth? Was that his name? He searched his memories for the answer, coming up with a blank. But that girl in the dream had called me that…it should be…  
  
"Who…who are you?" A mixed emotion crossed Cloud's face. Shock, relief, and fear all at the same time. Shock and relief to see recognition in those green eyes, instead of the vacant look he had seen for the past few days. The fall, somehow, had caused Sephiroth to recover from the poisoning, but as an exchange, he had lost his memories.  
  
How much of it, Cloud had no idea.  
  
"Cloud…Cloud Strife." The blond man stammered, looking nervously at the nurse next to him.  
  
"Sorry, the name doesn't ring a bell."  
  
The nurse placed a hand on Sephiroth's forehead, checking for a fever, and asking questions at the same time.  
  
"Can you remember your name?"  
  
"I…I think it's Sephiroth. But that's all I can remember."  
  
"How many fingers am I holding up?"  
  
"Three." She nodded slightly.  
  
"I'll talk to the doctor about this." Cloud forced a smile before turning his attention back to the man on the bed.  
  
"How do you feel?" Sephiroth did not reply, seemingly concentrated on something on the bed.  
  
"You were holding my hand all this while?" The white haired man asked quietly. "What's…are you…what was our relationship like? Who are you to me?"  
  
"What did you remember?"  
  
"A lover." Sephiroth turned his head to face the windows, watching the birds perched on the sill. "I had a lover, but I can't remember his name or how he looked like. Are…are you him?"  
  
A lover, Cloud took in the information dumbly. He tightened his hold on Sephiroth's hand and smiled, brushing the long bangs away from the beautiful face.  
  
Green eyes widened in shock and regret as Sephiroth struggled to bring his other hand up, caressing Cloud's cheek gently.  
  
"I'm…sorry I can't remember you…beloved…"  
  
"It's okay, Seph."  
  
Love him for me, Spike. Love him for me.  
  
***  
  
End of Prologue  
  
To Be Continued 


	3. Chapter 1

Dust and Bones | Chapter 1

A FFVII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. 

This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive. 

Pairing: Cloud X Sephiroth, Zack + Sephiroth

Warnings: Shounen-ai, angst, more sap, Bitch!Tifa. Lime scene, Uke!Sephiroth

Author's note: There is a sex scene in this chapter. It's okay to skip it if you are not comfortable. But as the scene is not considered explicit by my standards, I'll only render it an R rating. Others might rate it as NC-17, I don't know. *Shrugs* Thanks to those who had reviewed this fic. I was so tempted to threaten posing a new chapter with every ten reviews but well…I did not, in case I can't find the time or the inspiration to write. 

Sephiroth pulled his sleeping robe tighter around himself, providing him with more protection against the cold morning air. The logical part of his min was already chiding him, telling him to get back inside the house before he catch a flu and had to stay in bed for the rest of the week. 

Autumn was nearing its end. Unknowingly, Sephiroth had been living with Cloud in the mansion for the past few months. He still could not remember anything about his past, and all Cloud had mentioned was that he had been a General in the army caught in a terrible war. But had the war bee so traumatizing and painful that an unconscious part of his mind simply wanted to keep those memories buried forever? 

True, the future holds a better prospect than the past, but…Sephiroth debated. He could not even find a photo of himself from during the war. If he were indeed someone great…

The white haired man smiled sardonically. How could someone like him be of any importance to the rest of the world?

A shrill scream dragged him out of his musings and back to reality. Before he could even register what had happened, he felt a blow connected straight to his jaws. 

"Murderer! I thought we killed you for good! Get out of our lives! And give me back my father! Murderer! Lunatic!" Sephiroth could barely hear the rest of her words in the midst of his confusion. A word had struck a chord in him, causing a dull ache in his chest, something he had never felt before.

**_Lunatic!_**

_***_

_The flames flickered in the dark night, reaching their burning arms out to the rest of the town. Screams could be heard everywhere, children crying in fear and women sobbing as they cradled their babes close to their chest; those cries seemed so distant, so far away. They were the traitors! They were the ones who took the Planet away from him and his mother. They had to be punished!_

_"Lunatic!" The mayor shouted from behind him, charging towards him with a small knife. The white haired man turned around and smirked, raising his sword slightly and bringing it down again, slicing the man into two. _

_"Lunatic!!"_

_***_

"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled. He had heard a familiar female voice outside, screaming hysterically, before a painful cry from Sephiroth had brought him running out of the house and into the cold air without a shirt on. Tifa was standing a few feet away from the white haired man, fists clenched in barely controlled anger. Tears were streaking down her face as she faced the man who had destroyed all that she had ever owned. Her hometown, her father…

"Murderer!" She shouted again, wanting more than anything to deliver another punch onto the handsome face. 

"SHUT UP!" Blue Mako eyes flashed with anxiety. Sephiroth coughed slightly as he tried to control the tears from flowing, long white hair plastered to his face with cold sweat as he knelt there on the ground, helpless and shaking, hugging himself as he sobbed. 

Cloud ran towards the other man, pulling him into an embrace, whispering comforting words into his ears. Tifa stood there silently, staring at the two men before her in disbelief and horror. She fought down the temptation to exclaim more hateful words as she watched. 

In the near-silence, only Sephiroth's sobs could be heard. 

***

A loud 'crash' from the kitchen followed by a murmured curse hinted that Cloud would have to deal with an upset and relatively shaken Sephiroth once the unwelcome guest in his living room decides to leave him alone. 

It was taking Cloud more than just patience and understanding not to kill Tifa. Unfortunately for her, strangling a certain childhood friend always seems like a lovely prospect for stress relief. 

"So, Tifa, what's up?" Casual, yes, that would be safe enough. Find out her problem, solve it, drop kick her back to Kalms and think about what pretty lie to tell Sephiroth. 

Ever since the ex-General woke up without his memories, Cloud had, to the best of his abilities, kept him from finding out more than he should. It was knowledge that had caused Sephiroth's insanity, this time; Cloud would do all that he could to prevent that knowledge from reaching Sephiroth again.

He would not make the same mistake that Zack did. 

"Cloud, what's that monster doing—"

"His name is Sephiroth, Tifa." He hissed, keeping his voice low so that the white-haired man could not hear them form the other room. It would not be wise to suggest they go to the upstairs rooms right now. Tifa would be even more convinced that Cloud was hiding something from her. And Sephiroth…

God, he would not want to know what dark thought the man was entertaining right now.

"But still…" Tifa tried to make a protest, but was quickly silenced by a look from Cloud. 

"Tifa, what business do you have in Nibelheim?" The brunette widened her eyes. Never before had her friend spoke to her in this manner, this detached, business-like way…it was not like Cloud to act like this. 

"God, Cloud, what did he do to you?" 

"He didn't do anything!" Patience was running out, Cloud noticed, reining in the impulse to grab the Ultimate Weapon off its rack and chased Tifa out of the house, regardless if she ended up dead or alive in the process. 

"If there is a manipulator here, it would be me, Tifa." Cloud sighed, not willing to reveal so much to the young woman. "Sephiroth remembers nothing about his past, and I'm planning to keep it this way. History was far too painful for either of us, and I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore." Even if I had to play puppeteer this time around, he added silently. 

A look of horror and realization crossed Tifa's face, as she quickly threw a glance at the kitchen door. How much had Cloud change in the past few months since they parted ways? She wondered. Enough for her not to see a trace of the friend she remembered. The Cloud she knew, and loved, was a leader. A man that the rest had entrusted their lives to during the battle against Sephiroth and Jenova, not the man she was having coffee with now. 

This man, she realized. The man was a lover, somebody crippled by love, chained by passion, one who willingly held the strings and refusing to let go, no matter how much the strings was cutting into his heart and his humanity. 

Cloud buried his head into his hands, a feeling of impending doom coming down on him as he spoke. "Tifa, I beg you. Don't tell Sephiroth what you know. If you do," He paused, wondering if there was any threat he could possibly carry out towards the girl. "I'll never forgive you."

Tifa placed a hand over her mouth, feeling a familiar sting behind her eyes as she nodded. It had hurt; definitely, to see the determination in those bright blue eyes. The determination to protect the one he loved at all costs. 

She could not stay here any longer, she decided, as she dashed towards the door while the warm liquid streaked down her cheeks. 

Goodbye, Tifa. Cloud whispered silently, as he made his way to the kitchen. 

***

_The stairway fell silent as he walked. The young boy looked at the card in his hands. It was the keycard to level 72 of the Shinra headquarters in Midgar, where the president office was. He had no idea why President Shinra wanted to see a child as young as he was. But Hojo's warnings to him were 'don't screw things up', so it had to be something important, hadn't it?_

_Hushed whispers came from the other well-dressed officers in the building, private comments made about Hojo and Lucretia's son. The boy is a weirdo; he could almost hear them say. Of course, what else would you say about a child with none of his parents' genes seen in his appearance? Who could possibly have eyes that bright even without Mako enhancement? _

_He knocked on the oak door, waiting for a muffled 'come in' on the other side. He entered. _

_President Shinra was a middle-aged man with blue eyes. Streaks of gray could be seen in his dark brown hair, but other than that, he was a very handsome man; one that looked like he could take on the world and win; someone that the young boy should learn to be afraid of. _

_"Good morning, Mister President."_

_"Good morning, Sephiroth."_

***

"Sephiroth?" The man snapped out of his memories with a start, crestfallen as he felt the details slowly slipping through his fingers like sand. He had been having flashes of the past for a few weeks already, especially in his dreams, but he could not remember anything about them once he regained consciousness. 

Sephiroth forced a smile at the young man standing behind him. Blue eyes looked at him concernedly. "What happened?" Cloud asked, putting his arms around Sephiroth's waist and hugging him from behind. 

"Nothing. Just those…visions again."

"Can you remember what you saw?" Sephiroth shook his head. "Where is your friend?"

"Home. She was just dropping by the town and decided to come visit us." Cloud lied. Tifa had obviously come with a purpose in mind. He would be damned if he had not realized that. There was an awkward silence as the ex-General pondered on those words. Cloud sighed inwardly. He would not be surprised if the next question was…

"She called me…something just now. Did I…what did I do to her during the war? Was…was I a horrible man?" 

Cloud remembered the many things Zack had told him when Hojo was holding them captive, the many faces of Sephiroth he had seen in the long years they had known each other. Sephiroth always had this problem about guilt, Zack had mentioned, and about his worth. The white haired man was never the proud arrogant General the rest of the Shinra army had seen him as. As he had never known his mother's true identity when he was young, Hojo had always made him believe that he was created with the genes of Jenova. That was not far off from the truth, but Jenova was only a supplement, nothing more. 

The child had never heard about Lucretia, and, Hojo had hoped, never would. 

"He had seemed so godly and mighty to the rest of you, hadn't he?" Cloud heard Zack's voice in his mind; a memory that refused to fade away.  

"But I bet you anything none of you was there when he cried. He cries in his sleep sometimes, when we first became SOLDIER, he used to call out the names of those he killed, or had caused the deaths of indirectly. Then when he wakes up, he would be back to the cold heartless Sephiroth all of you had known."

"Those nightmares were killing him. Sometimes after a mission, we had to go about it like rabbits on Viagra so that he would be too exhausted to even dream. A rush of adrenaline, I used to tell him. But I don't think he really believed me."

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked softly. The blond man smiled and gave him a peck on the cheeks. Sephiroth had never been too comfortable about being physically intimate with him after he lost his memories. The most they had done so far was to cuddle as they sleep, but even so, the white haired man always wakes up in the middle of the night and moved away from him to the other side of the bed. 

Cloud wondered if there was a small part in Sephiroth that had refused to forget his relationship with his best friend. What are you doing, Cloud Strife? Fancy being jealous of a dead man?!

"No, Sephiroth. You weren't a monster. You did things that were wrong, but we all did. That was a war, and people die. Tifa…her Dad died when the town was burned down. Nothing for you to worry about, Seph, nothing at all."

A frown appeared on the beautiful face as Sephiroth untangled himself from the embrace. Somebody said something like that before. 

_"So what?! We are fighting a bleedin' war over here with Hojo's precious Mako reactors! Accidents happen; people die. But I'm alive and you're alive, and that's all that bloody matters to me!"_

His body moved almost to its own accord, as he slumped down onto the floor, pulling his knees close to his chest and rocking himself to and fro as if it was the most typical thing for him to do. 

"Seph?" Cloud asked, making a tentative step towards the huddled figure. 

"You don't understand." Sephiroth muttered, almost hearing the automated answer at the back of his mind. 

_"Of course I don't understand! I don't understand you and your **fuckin'** obsession for perfection and Godhood!" _

Cloud threw his arms around the other man. 

"I do, I understand. I like you…" He tried, he tried to say 'love' but…how could he make that promise when he was not even sure himself?

That was enough for now…it had to be enough.

***

Tifa fell back against the soft mattress of the bed. She threw an arm over her eyes tiredly. Cloud's words were still ringing sharply in her ears. 

_"If there is a manipulator here, it would be me, Tifa."_

_"Tifa, I beg you. Don't tell Sephiroth what you know. If you do,"_

_"I'll never forgive you."_

Forgiveness, she mused. Why would she need that? Cloud never really forgave her of the way she had treated him when he was young. He used to be an insect in her mind, the one to blame for anything that went wrong. When had he managed to find such a high pedestal for himself in her heart?

_"I'll never forgive you."_

Her heart clenched painfully as she recalled their conversation. How could Cloud love someone like Sephiroth? It was not natural! Sephiroth was not even human to begin with in the first place! He was a monster, Jenova's spawn! And even if Cloud had insisted on putting in along human lines, Sephiroth was a man! A man should never fall in love with another one. God would not forgive this relationship. 

And Sephiroth had almost destroyed Cloud! He took away from him the things that he had treasured most: his hometown, his mother…everything! How could Cloud possibly still love him after all that he had done?

She pursed her lips together in determination. 

"Sephiroth remembers nothing about his past…" 

***

Cloud winced slightly when he walked out of the shower. Sephiroth was sitting on their bed, one hand running through the fine strands of his hair as he stared distractedly into mid air, lost in his own thoughts. It had been a long time since the haunted look had returned to those lovely green eyes. The blond man once again fought down the urge to murder Tifa as he walked to place a comforting hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. The white haired man tensed up with a start, only to relax when he realized who it was behind him. 

"Are you okay?" Sephiroth chewed softly on his lower lip as he nodded, gasping slightly as Cloud placed another hand on the other shoulder. 

"Cloud—" He was silenced abruptly by the warm assault on his lips. He sat there, frozen, not knowing what to do while Cloud tried to coax a response out of him. He gave up after a while, releasing his hold on Sephiroth and sitting next to him on the bed with a sigh. 

"I'm…" Cloud placed a finger firmly to his own lips, silently telling Sephiroth that apologies were certainly not allowed. He pressed his body against the older man seductively, lowering his head to suck slightly at the crook of the graceful neck. A moan of pleasure escaped Sephiroth's lips, with the man himself not noticing that he was slowly being pushed down onto the bed until he felt the soft pillow behind his head. 

Sephiroth's first instinct was to throw Cloud off him and bolt out of the room. But that thought was baseless. They were lovers after all, before he lost his memories. It was not fair that Cloud had to suffer all these months of abstinence simply because of him. 

Calloused hands slid down his chest, unbuttoning the white cotton shirt and pushing it off his broad shoulders in a casual manner. Cloud adjusted himself on the bed, bending down to brush his lips over the cloth covering Sephiroth's arousal. 

"Tell me what you want, Seph. Tell me." Cloud panted. God, this was the moment he had waited so long for. The man of his dreams, the man that he had a crush on ever since he was a teenager, now on his bed, spread-eagled for him to taste, to devour. This was a feast that he would never grow sick of. Never ever. 

"I…" Sephiroth tried to get the words out of his mouth. He was not comfortable with this and he wanted Cloud to stop, but did he really? It was so difficult to think when Cloud was trying to pull his zipper down with his teeth. "Just…just do whatever you want with me…Cloud."

There was a slight hesitation before he spoke Cloud's name. Who else's name would he want to call out?

Cloud did not give him more time to figure that thought out. Crawling up the lean body like a predator, Cloud licked his lips hungrily before closing the space between their bodies to lick a sensitive spot behind Sephiroth's ear. Sephiroth shut down his brain momentarily, wanting more than anything just to indulge in the pleasure. 

It had been so long…although it was only few months; it had seemed longer than that. They had not touched each other since…ever since that last check-up with Hojo…Hojo…the name seemed familiar, somehow…

Cloud pulled back to gaze into those beautiful pools of green. "You tensed up again, what's wrong?"

Sephiroth shook his head and smiled. He saw love and concern in those blue eyes, underneath the need and desire. "I know you need it as much as I do, Cloud. Take me."

What had I done to deserve this? Sephiroth closed his eyes, moving his head to provide Cloud with the soft skin of his neck. Cloud leant back to rest his weight on his knees, lightly stroking Sephiroth's chest as he contemplated the next thing to do. He finally decided on the only piece of clothing Sephiroth still had on him: his pants. He grinned wolfishly. 

"Undress yourself." Green eyes widened before the naughty twinkle was returned to those eyes. Cloud was glad. It had been a long day for the both of them. 

Long fingers slowly moved down to work on the button. With a soft 'pop', the button was undone. Sephiroth pushed himself up to a kneeling position similar to Cloud's and leant forward, whispering into the other man's ear, his voice taking on a ragged edge. 

"You want me to get rid of this," his hands lingered to the piece of article holding the bathing robe together suggestively. "For you?" Sephiroth moved to back against the headboard of the bed, pushing his trousers off, his hips swaying as more skin was revealed. 

"You need to be punished," Cloud undid the knot of his bathrobe himself, teasing his own nipples as he did so. Moving downwards, slender fingers worked on coaxing his member into hardness, eyes never once leaving Sephiroth.

Two could play the game, Sephiroth thought, as he took two fingers in his mouth, sucking and licking them as he watched Cloud's performance. Adjusting his position, he got down on his hands and knees in front of the blond man. Slowly, almost painfully, the lubricated fingers moved down to the cleft of his buttocks, searching for his opening and stretching them open, getting himself ready for Cloud later. 

Cloud stopped in whatever he was doing and placed both his hands on each side of Sephiroth's hand, once again losing himself in those eyes before he bent down to explore Sephiroth's mouth, biting gently on the long tongue. 

"You taste sweet." Cloud murmured when their lips parted. Sephiroth smirked and lowered his head to nose Cloud's erection. A surprised gasp escaped Cloud's mouth when he felt heat engulfing him. 

"God, Seph…God…" That was all he could manage. Fingers entwined in Sephiroth's long white hair as Cloud immersed himself in this sea of pleasure, once again marveling at how the thin strands slipped through his fingers. 

Like I can never hold on to him for long. A thought came unbidden into his mind. 

***

Tifa paced along the concrete path in front of the mansion. Cloud would kill her if she burse into the mansion now and yell out the truth for all to hear. There must be a way, there must be a way she could talk to Sephiroth without Cloud knowing. 

***

Sephiroth grabbed the forgotten bathrobe off the floor and got dressed quickly, not wanting to go up against the chilling autumn air naked. His entire body was sore; he blushed slightly as he recalled the reasons of feeling so. 

The sex was wonderful; even he had to admit that. But for some strange reason he felt that there was something lacking there when they climaxed. There was a sense of incompletion even when Cloud pulled out of him and pulled him into his arms with a smile on his face. No, it was not the mechanics of the act; it was the drowning emotions he felt behind it. It was as if…as if…

As if he was betraying someone else…

He struggled to keep his footsteps light as he made his way to the bathroom downstairs, picking his clothes up as he walked. He would not want to wake Cloud up. 

The wind blew the curtains apart as he passed the balcony, revealing a glimpse of a small figure outside the mansion. Tifa?

Getting dressed quickly, he rushed out of the mansion. 

***

The brunette turned around in surprise when she heard the rustle of grass behind her. It took her a moment or two to remind herself that she need not be so ready to fight the man who was her nemesis. 

"Are you looking for Cloud? Do you want to come into the mansion? The night air is cold." Sephiroth asked.  Tifa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 

He really could not remember anything from the past. She thought. 

"No, actually I'm here to look for you. Do you want to know what you don't remember?"

***

The pair found themselves in a twenty-four hour pub, sitting next to each other at the bar counter but not saying a single thing. 

It was Sephiroth who broke the silence first. 

"What did you say you want to tell me about?"

"I was there with Cloud," Tifa started, taking another sip of the beer she had ordered and offered it to the man next to her. Sephiroth politely declined. "I was with Cloud when we fought against…you and the Meteor."

***

A silent scream came from his throat as he felt another painful memory invade his mind. Too long, Zack thought. I can't stay here any longer…I'll go crazy…Seph…where are you…

***

A lazy hand reached out to search for the warm body that was supposed to be next to him. Sapphire eyes snapped open when he found an empty space where Sephiroth was supposed to be. 

"Sephiroth?"

***

End of Chapter 1

To Be Continued


	4. Side Story 1

Dust And Bones | Side Story 1 A FFVII Fanfiction By Majokai Yukiko  
  
This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive. Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth Warnings: Yaoi, angst, implied non-consensual sex. Tifa-bashing (literally!)  
  
Many thanks to Sabriel for beta reading this fic. And of course, to my dear doujinshi artist, Aer_Seph4Eva, for giving me something to look forward to every time I start on a new chapter. Chibby-sama!! Arigatou for the picture of Sephiroth in a kimono.scan it in soon!!! For all the other readers out there, review!!! Love you guys too! Log out.  
  
Eleven Years Ago  
  
Zack knocked urgently on the door.  
  
"General Sephiroth?" He asked, hating to address his friend so formally but at the same time, aware of the other SOLDIERs lurking about in the corridors.  
  
What the Hell could have happened?! He yelled mentally at no one in particular. The guard at the entrance had come running to his room with an anxious look on his face, reporting on how The General had staggered back to the base like a hunted animal, with one hand over his face and pushing away anybody who was unfortunate enough to be in his way.  
  
"Seph? Open the door, it's Zack." There was still no reply on the other side. Taking a deep breath, he began to type in the clearance code into the room. He hated having to do this, entering the room without permission, it was like invading his best friend's privacy, but right now, it seemed to him that he had no other choice.  
  
I swear I'll kill Hojo the next time I see him, he thought as the door unlocked with a satisfying 'beep'.  
  
The room was dark. Apparently, Sephiroth had not bothered to switch on the lights when he entered.  
  
"Seph? Are you sleeping?" The soft rustling of the cloth at the corner of the suite had betrayed the General's location. Zack cautiously made his way to the dark figure on the floor.  
  
"Get away from me!" The voice was hoarse, as if he had been screaming for a very long time at the top of his voice. Pursing his lips together, Zack was determined to see his friend in the light, and ready to offer him a reasonable explanation of his behavior. Walking back to where the switch was, he reached for the button before a gloved hand reached out to grab his.  
  
"No, Zack, please." The grip was weak, and the hand was trembling. A familiar smell invaded his nostrils as he used to his free hand to push the button.  
  
Blood?  
  
Light flooded into the room in an instant. The dark haired SOLDIER could only catch a glimpse of his friend's face before the man turned away from him, almost like he was ashamed of his looks.  
  
There was something glistening at the edge of those beautiful green eyes. Tears? Why would the great Sephiroth be crying after a regular trip to the labs? Nineteen years of having unknown faces seeing him naked, poking and prodding him with strange unidentified equipment was traumatizing for anyone but Sephiroth had endured it all. What could be so different about this time round to have caused the change? Unless.  
  
.Unless this time, it was for worse than any other had been.  
  
"Seph?" He asked again, noticing how tense Sephiroth's posture was, looking as if he was ready to escape from anything, or anyone, that might pose as a threat to him. He tried to place a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, only to have him turning around and trying to push Zack away from him. Zack took a good look at Sephiroth and for the first time that night, realized that the white haired General's attacks were like that of a baby's.  
  
"What did they do to you this time?" Zack demanded, brushing a gentle hand across the edge of the bruised lips. Zack watched in horror as the already pale face turned ghost white before the General fainted.  
  
He hesitated before picking the man off the floor and carrying him to the bedroom. Dark hazel eyes narrowed as he felt a damp area in the part of the cloth covering the thighs.  
  
Gently he laid his best friend on the bed, nimble hands undoing the clasp in Sephiroth's black uniform. Some of the clasps were done wrongly, as if the man was in a hurry to get dressed. Zack paused when he undid the belt, wondering for a moment if it would be bringing things a little too far to undress Sephiroth completely. His mind flickered to the damp area again. So far, there had bee bruises on Sephiroth's upper body; minor blue blacks here and there, nothing that they had not endured in their SOLDIER training. But.  
  
Turning his head away, Zack removed the garment in one swift motion, gasping slightly when he turned back again.  
  
Too much, far too much to be purely external.  
  
There was a great amount of blood along the inner thighs, together with small flecks of white, dried on the smooth soft skin. Zack gritted his teeth in anger. He had an idea what those white stuff was, and hell, would he rather he was wrong this time around.  
  
***  
  
What's that you are injecting into me this time?  
  
Nothing that you should be afraid of, son  
  
I feel.weak  
  
Don't worry it'll get better after a while  
  
What.what have you done.to me?  
  
Come on, boy, let's see how much pain you can take.  
  
Hey, what a lucky piece of shit we are, fancy Shinra giving us a lovely little toy to play with even before we die.  
  
Do whatever you want with him, but I want him alive after that  
  
Fuck, you're tight! Let's see how good your mouth is, huh?  
  
Whore!  
  
Bitch!  
  
***  
  
"Argh.argh!" Sephiroth sat, bolted upright on his bed as he struggled to regain his breath. Tentatively he raised his hands to where his eyes could see them, flexing his arms and clenching his fists slowly.  
  
The drug had worn off; his strength returned, just as Hojo had promised. Relief washed over the man like calm water, until he realized something different about the environment he had fallen asleep in.  
  
Point one, he was naked and his body was cleansed of any signs of abuse. And Sephiroth was sure that he had came into his room fully clothed and.unwashed.  
  
Point two, he was not alone.  
  
Green eyes scanned quickly around the room for possible threats, until his memory hit him hard on the head like a rock. Zack.God, he came.he knew.  
  
The bathroom door opened. With his back against the light, Zack was nothing more than a dark human-shaped silhouette.  
  
"God, Seph, you alright?" There was a mixed emotion of relief and worry in that voice, and a tinge of.disgust?  
  
Sephiroth edged away when he felt a hand on his shoulders. No, don't touch me now.you can't dirty your hands like this.go, GO!  
  
"What are you doing in my private quarters at this time of the night, Colonel?" Yes, push him away. Hurt him before he could hurt you, hurt him before he spends more time with a lowly creature like you.  
  
"Seph?"  
  
"It's General Sephiroth to you, Colonel. Leave this suite now, or you can be charged with insubordination. You know the rules, Colonel." I don't deserve a friend like you, Zack. I wanted us to be more than just friends, but.please leave. I'm only Shinra's whore, can't you see? Sephiroth plead mentally, turning his face away towards the window.  
  
Zack winced at Sephiroth's cold demeanor. He hated it when anyone pulls rank on him. That was why Sephiroth had specifically requested for Zack to be his second-in-command. But now, even Sephiroth was doing the same thing to him.  
  
Sephiroth felt Zack remove his weight from the mattress. Giving a formal military salute, Zack replied, perhaps a little harsher than he had intended.  
  
"Yes, General Sephiroth."  
  
"Sir, sir!" Zack scowled when he saw a trooper running towards him. What was this thing with troopers and them running towards him in times of trouble? Do I look like a fucking Aunt Agony to them?  
  
"What?" He barked. He had barely slept last night, after Sephiroth threw him out of his room. He had expected the man to be high-strung after an experience like.that. But he was almost too calm when he regained consciousness, so much so that Zack could hear the barrier of ice slamming down between them.  
  
"The.General had locked himself in his room all morning, sir, and I swear I heard screams on the other side of the door."  
  
Hazel eyes darkened with worry. Now what? He thought.  
  
"Lead the way, trooper."  
  
***  
  
An empty wine bottle joined the pile on the floor. Raising his glass, Sephiroth smiled at his own reflection in the mirror.  
  
"Cheers!" He toasted, drinking the wine in one gulp. He ran his hand through his long white hair, bringing a few strands over his nose and inhaling the faint scent of peppermint. Frowning slightly, he threw the glass towards the mirror, shattering it into several pieces.  
  
"Beautiful." Sephiroth traced along the curve of his jaws, eyes never once leaving the many images of himself in the mirror. "Nothing but Shinra's pretty little whore, huh?"  
  
Staggering, he made his way to the bar counter for the strongest cognac in his office.  
  
"This calls for a celebration!" He grinned.  
  
***  
  
"Seph?" Zack kicked away the empty wine bottle on the floor, wrinkling up his nose as he recognized the familiar smell of alcohol in the air.  
  
"Oh, Zack, you're here. Come, have a drink with me." The dark haired man turned and immediately froze in shock. There's standing at the doorway to the bedroom, was a Sephiroth he had never seen in the entire time he had known him.  
  
"Like what you see?" Sephiroth purred, fingers twirling absently at the ends of his almost silver hair. "Or are you regretting what you don't see?" The dark green kimono the man was wearing contrasted strikingly with the pale hue of his skin, making the General look close enough to.feminine.  
  
Zack held his breath as Sephiroth walked towards him in slow purposeful strides. Placing his hands gently on Zack's shoulders, Sephiroth buried his head in the crook of the SOLDIER's neck, nuzzling it softly.  
  
"Are.are you alright?" Zack choked, his leather pants getting tighter as time passed. It was taking him all his self-control not to throw his superior officer onto the bed and ravage him.  
  
"I can take quite a bit of pain, y'know? I passed that test yesterday.just like all those before." The white haired man nipped at Zack's ear experimentally, using his teeth to tug lightly at the soft flesh. "Shinra's whore.I earned that name well."  
  
Zack wanted to grab Sephiroth and pushed him away, wanted to knock some sense into that drunken mind, wanted to push away all that self-doubt and sense of worthlessness from Sephiroth's mind. But the enticing peppermint scent the belonged solely to Sephiroth, the tickling whispers as the soft silvery strands brushed against his skin, the feel of Sephiroth's discreetly taut muscles hidden under the silk material of the kimono were affecting his ability to think coherently.  
  
"What.what do you mean?" That was all Zack could manage. Sephiroth smirked.  
  
"He gave me many names to yell when we.you know.Jonathon.Jonathon Shinra.Mister President.whatever. But I kept my mouth shut throughout. Want to know why?"  
  
The dark haired man almost jumped when he felt pale hands encircled his, slowly guiding them down to where the belt holding the kimono together was.  
  
Just one tug, and Zack would get to see the silver moon angel in his naked glory.just one tug.but he hesitated.  
  
"Seph." He started, but Sephiroth successfully shushed him with a firm finger to his lips.  
  
"Because.there was only one name I want to call." Zack waited, wanting to know, yet at the same time, afraid to find out the identity of the special someone in Sephiroth's heart.  
  
"Zachary.Zack.it's you." Sephiroth closed his eyes, almost in pain when he felt his friend tense. What else do you expect, Sephiroth? Who would want a whore like you?! He dropped his arms to his side. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Sephiroth slumped wearily onto the carpeted floor.  
  
"I'm.I apologized. It's late, colonel, you should leave now."  
  
"What if.I don't want to?" Sephiroth turned around abruptly, eyes widening as Zack pressed his mouth onto his lips, slowly coaxing for entrance. Sephiroth gave in almost immediately, tears forming at the edge of his eyes as he felt himself melting in the arms of the one man he had learnt to love, not believing that this man could.would actually love him back.  
  
Sephiroth moaned in regret when Zack broke away from the kiss, his fists clenching up tightly, silently demanding for control. Please, if this is a dream, let it last longer.please.I don't want it to end.not like this.  
  
Hazel eyes locked with light green ones. Voiceless messages exchanged as they read, deep into each other's soul.  
  
"If you allow me to." Zack lowered his head, once again capturing those sweet lips with his own. "I don't want to go."  
  
*** 


	5. Chapter 2

 Dust and Bones | Chapter 2

A FFVII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. 

This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive. 

Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth

Warnings: Shounen-ai, angst. Very short chapter. Apologies about that. I'm preparing for my BIG FAT Cambridge exams so it'll probably take me some time to update. I promise to plunge my head straight into writing this after the 8th of November, 'kay?

15 reviews!! Finally! Okay, peeps, five reviews for a chapter. Deal?

Present

Sephiroth could feel himself crumbling from inside as Tifa presented him with the gory details of incidents after incidents, about his reputation to the rest of the world as The General, about the mission to Nibelheim, about the five hellish years Zack and Cloud had spent in Hojo's laboratory. Words after words, sentences after sentences, slowly, as his memories returned to him, he was losing his touch on reality. 

"Then Cloud killed you, or at least, we thought he did. The war was over, the world was safe, but you just **had** to return!" 

_The blindfold slipped off his eyes, revealing to him a sunlit civilian living room, domestically decorated. Their photos were set almost everywhere: on the bar counter, the phone table, the walls…it was a place just for the two of them. Even if it was only a two-week vacation, Sephiroth knew it was more of a home than his suite in the Shinra HQ, where he had spent nineteen years in. _

_"How do you like it?" Strong arms encircled his waist. Unconsciously, Sephiroth leaned into the embrace and smiled. _

_"Thanks, Zack. I love it."_

Flashes of the past made their way before his eyes. He could almost smell the metallic scent of blood in the air when he annihilated everything in his way to the top level of the Shinra building. Jenova's cruel whispers in his mind were gently but firmly sinking their claws into his sanity and his sword, the Masamune, beckoning at him, pleading for fresh blood. 

_"I love you, Seph."_

Beautiful words spoken right from the heart, Sephiroth knew. Sephiroth knew that Zack had meant it every time he said it to him, but he never returned those words. 

I've never told you I love you. God, Zack, is it too late for us now? Had…had I destroyed everything that we ever shared?

***

Sephiroth staggered out of the bar weakly, leaving the girl at the counter, staring suspiciously at him from behind. He was not about to go insane, give in to Jenova's ramblings and set about destroying the world again. He had already done that before. But the world he had destroyed was the one he loved. 

What was the point in being the Master of the Earth if the one he loved was no longer with him? He made a mistake, one big fat stupid mistake! 

Death was the only way out to save himself from this misery. But in the both times that he had thrown himself at Death, he was being wrenched back into this web of deceit and pain called life. 

Not even Death wanted him. 

***

"I'm really sorry, Cloud. I didn't mean for that to happen!" Tifa defended herself quickly. She had only wanted to see for herself if Sephiroth were really sane, or if he were simply pretending and waiting for a good time to strike. How would she have known that the white haired ex-General would lose conscious from grief?

"GET OUT!" Cloud shouted, fists clenched at his side, not wanting to create a scene outside Sephiroth's room lest he disturbed the man's rest. 

But he had broken his promise again. He promised Zack to keep Sephiroth sane for him…but now…

"Cloud…" 

"Tifa, I really don't want to talk to you now. I'll find you in Kalms when I've the mood to, 'kay?" 

Tifa looked as if she was about to make a protest to that, and probably would have done so if the door to Sephiroth's room had not opened just in time. 

Bright green eyes that once held emotions so deep were now void of everything. The Sephiroth that had walked out of the room was a shell of the original. 

"Sephiroth?" Cloud asked tentatively, afraid to reach out to touch him. Was he still sane? Or had Tifa's words destroyed all that Cloud tried to do in the past few months?

"Zack…he is…calling for me…" Tifa widened her eyes in shock and fear. Zachary was dead! He had died when he helped Cloud escape Hojo's laboratory. Had Sephiroth snapped again?

The pair of childhood friends could only stare in anticipated fear as Sephiroth slowly made his way done the steps and towards the direction of the library. 

They looked at each other for a moment, deciding on their next course of action. It was obvious, they thought, as they hurried and followed Sephiroth towards the library. 

***

He could feel Zack's fear and pain. His lover was slowly being driven mad with loneliness, pain and memories. And it was entirely his fault. 

If Sephiroth had not fallen for Jenova's pretty lies, they would still have been together, spending their hard-earned holidays in that lovely little house Zack had bought for him—their own private love nest. 

**_Sephiroth!_**

The white haired man blinked away the tears that were blurring his vision. He had to find Zack first. Only he could save Zack from his misery. Sephiroth clenched his fists tighter as he made his way to the far corner of the library. 

Sephiroth let go of a sigh of relief when his hand came into contact with the dark polished stone on the oak table. There was a wall in the library that was made completely out of one-way glass. Those behind the glass could see into the library, but those in the library could not do the same. 

"Sephiroth! What are you doing? Stop!" Cloud shouted, watching in sadistic fascination as Sephiroth held the stone firmly in his hands and aimed it at him. 

Missing his head by mere inches and shattering what Cloud used to think was a painting on the wall behind him. 

A sad smile graced Sephiroth's lips briefly, as the shattered glass revealed a hidden laboratory behind it. And the man inside the cylinder in the middle of the laboratory. 

Beside him, Tifa gasped in horror. The man they saw was a dead man. Or at least, he was one that should have been dead but was brought back alive by the devil. 

There he was, the Colonel, The General's right hand man and lover from the Shinra army, alive and definitely conscious in his green murky liquid prison.  

But not exactly human anymore. 

***

Zack looked up in shock as he saw the glass in front of him shattering. The first person he saw was the man he had never thought he would see for the rest of his life, the man who he had loved, and the same man who had killed him without any qualms. 

I'm sorry, love. Sephiroth mouthed, struggling not to faint before he released his lover from hell. Sephiroth placed his hand shakily on the console next to the cylinder. He knew this system well. 

For a mad scientist, Hojo was never very intelligent or creative. He had always had the illusion that Sephiroth would never want to go anywhere near his laboratory, if given the choice. Therefore, the ultimate password to release his experiments, if without Hojo's own codeword, never changed. It was always Sephiroth's palm print. 

And for the first time in his life, Sephiroth was actually glad for this. 

Zack looked at Sephiroth with understanding. Those green eyes were silently asking for forgiveness, and searching for the traces of love the two of them once shared. Zack was glad to have Sephiroth back, if the other man would have it. 

The black haired man smiled and reached out for his lover as soon as the glass barrier between the two of them were gone. Then he stopped, staring at his arm in horror. 

There, replacing the once muscular taut flesh was now an artificial metal arm. 

***


	6. Chapter 3

Dust and Bones | Chapter 3

A FFVII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. 

This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive. 

Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth, Cloud X Sephiroth

Warnings: Shounen-ai, angst.

A/N: I'm squeezing this chapter out of me…by force. Now, what can give me more motivation to write the next chapter? A few reviews and a doujinshii for this fanfiction. ^_^ Er…I'm out of ideas for the next chapter. You guys have anything that you really want to see? Other than hot steamy sex? 

By the way, sorry to my dear beta reader, Sabriel, for not updating you on the previous chapter. Sorry about that. And sorry again about not updating you on the latest addition to this chapter. 

To my dear doujinshii artist, you know what to give me for Christmas ne?

To the rest of my readers: As I just broke up with my boyfriend, I'm having some big problems handling real life right now. Fic writing is a form of escapism for me…but I really wonder if this loss of faith in true love will affect the fate of this fic. If I'm lucky I can get the next chapter out by Christmas. Just do some praying for me? I think I'll need that very much. 

To my ex boyfriend, if you are still reading my fics to guess my thoughts…just want to tell you that I still love you very much. So much that I'm holding back the impulse to kill you. If you still love me, I know I'm absolutely shameless to say this, but will you please take me back? I'll do anything for you right now. 

_Time through the rain has set me free_

_Sands of time will keep your memory_

_Love everlasting fades away_

_Alive within your beatless heart_

_Dry your tears with love_

_"Tears", X Japan_

Zack never stayed after the first night. Whether it was from the shock or any other reasons, Sephiroth had gotten down with a terrible fever after releasing Zack from his prison. Zack sat by his bedside all night, holding his hands and muttering soft reassurances to his long-lost lover. 

A look at Cloud confirmed Zack's doubts about what had happened during the time of his absence. Sephiroth had gone mad, as he had predicted, and tried to retrieve the Earth in the name of Jenova. But he had been defeated in his quest for Godhood, and lost his memories as well. 

Life would have been perfect for the white haired ex-General, only if the past had not return to haunt him in the form of Tifa's thirst for vengeance. Cloud had made him happy, something that Zack had never managed to do when they were together. It had always been like this, no matter how much Zack tried to protect Sephiroth, he always ended up hurting him in the process. 

How could he even blame Cloud for being the one who had saved Sephiroth when he was at his weakest? Cloud was there, while he was not. Cloud had managed to do what Zack had failed to. 

_Keep him sane for me, Spike._

And Cloud was only keeping his promise. 

Regardless of what the conclusion of his mental debate was, there could only be one result. His presence around Sephiroth would only cause him more harm than good. He had to leave. But first…

He had to make sure Sephiroth was all right. 

Cloud stood silently outside the room, leaning against the door with his eyes closed. The tears were threatening to fall any moment. The situation he was afraid of the most had finally occurred. Zack had returned, and he would be tossed aside again, forgotten like an abandoned rag doll. 

He had to admit that his selfishness and jealousy had, like demons, surfaced again and again in his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he could not shake the image of Zack's naked body from his memories. That man…he was no longer human. The left side of him was made out of metal and wires, his body operated by an artificial source of power, keeping the man working with great dependence on Mako. How could someone like this provide for Sephiroth the way a lover should?

Cloud shuddered slightly when he involuntarily recalled Colonel Zack's cold efficiency in the army. 

How much of his humanity had he lost?

_Sephiroth frowned as he crushed the piece of paper in his hands. All around him, SOLDIERS of different ranks looked at him in anxiety and fear, afraid to suffer his wrath and, at the same time, curious about what was it in the message that had caused the General to lose his cool. _

_Only one man in that room could still smile and remain at ease with the growing tension in the room. That man, was none other than Colonel Zachary, the General's second in command. _

_"What's wrong, Seph?" The colonel asked. Sephiroth frowned harder at the nickname It was obvious that Sephiroth disliked the use of that nickname in public, but Colonel Zachary remained oblivious to that dislike. Or rather, he knew, and was very amused by it. _

_"Everything," Sephiroth answered, having given up correcting Zack's use of that nickname in public long ago. "Those idiots the President sent to Wutai before us failed miserably in their mission." The white haired man signaled for a map to be brought to him. _

_Zack leant over Sephiroth's shoulder to try prying the crumpled note out of his hand. Sephiroth surrendered it willingly. _

_"Hmm…" Zack murmured while straightening out the piece of paper, only to choke in shock and disgust when he finally managed to decipher the handwriting. _

_"Understand now?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at his second in command, handing him a glass of water at the same time. "The worst mistake a strategist can make is to set his army in a forest under the Wutai heat."_

_"Serves them right to b burnt together with the trees." Zack snorted, handing the glass back to Sephiroth and taking the map from the trooper who had just entered the room. He spread it out on the table. _

_"And now the President wants us to clean up their mess."_

_"Oh, so they know they made a freaking mess too…f*cked up bastards.."_

_Sephiroth ignored the vulgarity and circled out a hill on the map. _

_"Apparently, the Wutaians aren't any smarter either." A few more arrows were drawn on the map. "They built their camp on this hill over there, hoping that more Shinra idiots will fall into their trap by traveling through this road here."_

_Zack studied the map for a moment and winked at his friend. Taking out his PHS, he quickly got the armies to ready themselves for battle. _

_"…Lieutenant, I want you to move Team C to seize the river at 24, 86. Yes, this is the General's order." Zack had to control his laughter and amusement at Sephiroth's outraged expression. _

_"Team A and B, gather at the foot of the hill at 0030. Make sure everybody's equipped with Fire materia. Team D, you are to gather at Point S by 2359. You are to be our front line attack, wait for the General's signal to kick some Wutai ass."_

_"You are the 'damnadest' creature, Zack." Sephiroth buried his face in his palms out of exasperation. _

_"You are me that well, buddy. One team should be enough for you, right?" Zack smirked. _

_***_

_At 0100, Sephiroth officially launched a major attack against the Wutai main base. The troopers moved quickly and efficiently, killing every villager they see on their way, sparing only women and children. Nobody else was to be spared. Like this, a path was cleared for Sephiroth to approach the palace like the God of Death. _

_Without hesitation, Sephiroth made his way swiftly to the clan chief's, Lord Godo, room. _

_"Who are you?" The warrior asked, getting into his fighting stance, sweaty hands grabbing tightly on the hooked sword in his hands. _

_"Sephiroth, representative of Shinra. I'm here to bargain a deal with you, sir." _

_Lord Godo laughed, not out of hysteria but truly out of humor._

_"Sephiroth, is it? You're young, therefore I suggest you leave this place right now before my messenger returns with back-up forces."_

_"From your other base?" Sephiroth questioned, keeping his cool. "I believe my men had just burnt down that hill where the camp was pitched. Sorry about the pollution caused." _

_"Although your messenger did give me some problems." A new voice spoke up. All attention was directed to the newcomer at the door. _

_"Zack!" Sephiroth exclaimed in surprise. The back haired man smirked and saluted with his broad sword. _

_"Mission accomplished, buddy. Now let me sit down for a moment while you finish off that big boss."_

_Sephiroth narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Zack never asked to take a break, no matter how tired he was. But much as he hated to admit it, it was not the time nor place to worry about his friend._

_Turning back to face his opponent, Sephiroth bowed slightly out of courtesy and began the fight. _

_The battle ended as quickly as it began. In a blink, Lord Godo lay dead on the floor of his own room, his blood staining the expensive tatami mat, hands still tightly clenched around his sword. _

_"Good jo—" Sephiroth turned around in panic. Dropping his sword, he rushed to where Zack was sitting and shook the unconscious man slightly. _

_"Zack, are you alright? Stop scaring me, Zack. This is not funny, Zack. Answer me!" Sephiroth gingerly touched the back of his friend's head…_

_…Drawing back a bloody hand…_

_"ZACK!!!!!!"_

Sephiroth blinked at the sudden brightness. That calm forest again, he had been there before. But he did not want the calmness. Not at this moment. Was Zack all right? Had he lost him again? He had almost lost him during the Wutai War. Why could he not learn? Why was it that he never treasured him, always taking him for granted?

_Because no matter where Sephiroth goes, his shadow naturally followed._

"Zack, wait for me, will you? Give me another chance, please…"

"What about Cloud?"

Sephiroth spun around quickly; Aeris was standing a few feet behind him. Her demeanor was not as gentle was she had been in the last time they met. 

"Aeris…" This was the girl that Sephiroth had killed in the midst of his insanity. Why? What had caused him to hunt her down specifically, this powerless flower girl?

_"How old is she?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"The friend you visited today, that sweet-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes."_

_"I…I don't know." _

"It was jealousy, Sephiroth." Aeris spoke up. "It was jealousy that fueled your hatred for me. In your insanity, I became the one responsible for Zack's 'death', I became the whipping boy for your sins, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth fell silent for a moment, not knowing what to do or what to say. 

"Erm…I know there's no use apologizing but…"

"You need to go back. Zack's waiting for you, right?" Aeris finished for him. The cold smile on her face was out of place, so out that Sephiroth could not help but shiver slightly. His well-trained sense of danger told him clearly that the girl was dangerous. Aching for the reassuring weight of the Masamune in his hands, Sephiroth looked straight into green eyes that mimicked his own, silently praying to whatever deity up there who bothered to watch over him. 

"Scared, Sephiroth? I'll think you very stupid if you are not. But don't be. I'm a dead spirit, there's none but one thing to fear from me."

"And what will that be?"

"I can keep you here with me."

"His fever's down." Cloud turned to look at the man standing at the door. 

"Are you still planning to leave?"

Two friends, brought together by fate, bonded by time, but separated by their love for the same man. But one of them had to leave, and Zack chose himself to be the one. 

Cloud watched as Zack strapped his broad sword to his back and walked out of the mansion. It would not be the last time they meet, Cloud was sure of that. If Sephiroth were light, Zack would always be his shadow, the one who stood silently behind him, supporting him in all that he does. Fate had a way of bringing them back together. As long as he stayed by Sephiroth, Cloud would definitely see Zachary Fayln again.

And Cloud? He would stay contented as Fae's puppet to hep tear the two lovers apart and bring them together again. 

Until Fate sends a greater adversary on their way.

End of Chapter 3

Continue to Chapter 4


	7. Christmas Special

Dust and Bones | Christmas Special

A FFVII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. 

The song used in this chapter is my own creation. Copyright rules apply. 

This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive. 

Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth, Cloud X Sephiroth

Warnings: Shounen-ai, angst.

A/N: This is a transitional chapter. Personally I don't like what I've done for this chapter but unfortunately it is crucial for me to bring this story into greater heights, so to speak. Err...what do you guys think about introducing a villain into this? Eve I need some adrenaline rush or bloodshed to take a break from all these smut some time. And I'm also taking a vote here: whom do you want Sephiroth to end up with, Cloud or Zack?

3 reviews to make me start writing the next chapter, 5 to make me post it up, deal?

**Christmas Eve**. 

"You okay so far?" Cloud asked, hanging the last bell onto the tree. It had been more than a year since he last celebrated Christmas properly. It was like, how easy was it for anyone to get into the festive spirit when what you should be doing include saving the world and blasting aliens back to the hell where they belong?

Sephiroth sat quietly on the couch in the living room; a small smile graced his beautiful face lightly. He looked the same, as he was a few months back, before Tifa appeared to tell him the monstrosity of his past deeds .The only difference being that the once bright and expressive green eyes were dull and without focus. It was as if, as if…

"I'm sure the tree is beautiful, Cloud, although I couldn't see it."

Cloud turned around to look at the ex-General, a look of love and pity passed his eyes briefly. God had never been kind on that man. True, Sephiroth did have his share of height ad glory when he was in SOLDIER. But it was earned through an unfair trade of whoring, bloodshed and years of loneliness. His insanity had cost him the only man he loved, and his memories and guilt had taken away his vision. 

The name Sephiroth was derived from the rank of the greatest of angels, Sephira. But had God really treated him as his child?

"Cloud?" Sephiroth spoke up, slightly disturbed by Cloud's brief silence. The blonde quickly broke out of his reverie and turned his attention back towards Sephiroth. 

"Bring me to the piano, please?" Cloud quickly obliged, leading the man blind man to the piano he had bought for him about a month ago. For many nights Cloud had pondered upon why he had provided so much for Sephiroth unconditionally. Was it out of pity, guilt, or simply, love? Ever since Sephiroth woke up from his fever and found Zack gone, he had accepted it wordlessly and tearlessly, as if he had expected it all along. And ever since then, Cloud had never touched Sephiroth in any way that was less than comradely Not that he had not thought about it. With his porcelain complexion and long silvery hair, Sephiroth was like someone who had just stepped out of a fairytale. To have such a celestial being losing composure and caught on a heat of passion was...was fantastical for any normal man with their needs. 

"Cloud?" 

"Huh?" 

"Are you alright? You seem to be rather distracted today. "

"Am I?" Cloud laughed nervously, looking around the room, trying to find something else to talk about. "What are you going to play today?"

Sephiroth only smiled, as he opened the lid and rest his fingers on the black and white key. The light tinkling of keys sounded, accompanied by the wistful dance of the snowflakes outside. 

_"Not bad, I didn't know you play, Seph." Zack clapped, a mixture of surprise and admiration evident on his face. The white haired General cringed slightly at the use of the nickname. _

_"I can't remember who I learnt it from." _

_"What were you playing just now?" Sephiroth shrugged. "Nothing. Just one of my own compositions."_

_"Play it again." Sephiroth looked up at the man leaving against his piano with his eyes closed. Hesitating for a while, Sephiroth searched his lover's face for any sign of mischief. None. _

_The man was simply, innocently, appreciating the music and its serenity. _

_So he played it again. _

_"Like a gargoyle standing in the wind_

_Carved out of stone_

_Perfection in disguise_

_You're the object of my religion."_

_Sephiroth stiffened slightly when he saw Zack walking behind him and gently put his arms around him, all the while giving flesh to his song. _

_"So this Christmas I'm sending out a prayer to St. Nick_

_Since I've been a rather good boy this year_

_I wish that I could melt that heart of yours_

_Replace that stone with a heart of my own_

_And that sneer with a smile from my lips."_

_"NO!" Sephiroth yelled, the song coming to an abrupt halt. But Zack did not loosen his hold. Sighing, Sephiroth resumed his playing. This time, with lyrics of his own to add. _

_"Crucifixes are only for the dead and gone_

_Crafted from ice and stone_

_Deception in disguise_

_I want to be that perfection you see."_

_"Why won't you let me worship you? _

_Or even to fall in love with you?" _

_Zack cut in, burying his face into those silken strands.  Sephiroth blinked away the ears and clouded his vision struggling to keep up with the song. _

_"Will I ever be enough?_

_Won't you save me from this misery?"_

_Without warning, Zack took Sephiroth's hands away from the keyboard and forcefully turned the man around to face him. Hazel eyes stared into green. _

_"It doesn't matter if you are perfect of not, Sephiroth." Zack gently brushed some stray strands away from the lovely face and tucked the hair behind an ear. "All that matters to me is that we are perfect together." _

_And he claimed those lips for his own. _

"Did that song remind you of Zack?" Cloud asked, replacing the lid of the piano for the other man before sitting down on the bench with his back against the instrument.

"Was it that obvious?"

"You were crying." Cloud's grip on the edge of the bench tightened as the man continued to stare at his boots. 

"Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?" Sephiroth asked, as e quickly wiped the tears away with the back of his hands. Cloud narrowed his eyes angrily and turned to trap Sephiroth in a bone-crashing embrace. 

"Stop pretending that he doesn't matter, that you don't love him anymore. Not when both of us know that it IS NOT TRUE!"

Sephiroth sat still, stunned, realizing for the first time that it was exactly what he was doing: pretending. That was all he had ever done, wasn't it? Pretending to be human, pretending to be great, pretending to be that exact thing he was not. 

Cloud forcefully pushed Sephiroth away and stood up, his fists clenched tightly at his sides as he fought back his own tears. 

"You…you sicken me!" Cloud exclaimed, bolting out of the room in fury. 

Sephiroth waited until he could no longer hear Cloud' footsteps before he allowed his shoulders to slump down wearily. 

"I can never make any of us happy, can I?" 

"No, you can't." A foreign voice spoke up, as the girl wrapped her arms around Sephiroth. 

"Why can't I?' 

"Because you are the source of that misery, Sephiroth." The voice whispered into his ears. Not so far away from the mansion, the village church bell chimed twelve times. 

"Merry Christmas, Sephiroth."

"Merry Christmas…Aeris…"


	8. Chapter 4

Dust and Bones | Chapter 4 

**The Second Arc to Dust and Bones**

**The Power to Hurt; The Power to Heal**

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. 

This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive. 

Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth, Cloud X Sephiroth

Warnings: Shounen-ai, Angst. 

A/N: Well guys, there's this question that has been on my mind for quite some time. Does Cloud really love Sephiroth? I was updating my website the other day and was reformatting all my fiction (re-reading them at the same time), Cloud seems to be more bent on fulfilling his promise to Zack that actually loving Sephiroth. It was a crush that he had on Sephiroth, a form of blind worship even. But love? I'm not so sure about that. I may be biased (we all know that I'm a ZS supporter) so, I'm asking for the opinions of my readers. What do you guys think? [As per usual, 5 reviews a chapter, alright? But you guys must give me at least 6 this time. I never had the 5th review for the previous chapter.]

Replies to some of my reviewers: [from now on the replies will be posted on my blog _ ]

Rchan: Well, since you asked so nicely, here it is. A little late though, but better than never, right? 

Mistressofterror: Thanks, I really hope I can maintain or improve on my writing. Keep the criticisms coming. 

WarmBubble: Oh yes! Finally found another fan of uke Sephiroth. My friends have been telling me how sick I am to make the oh-so-mighty 5 star General uke. But don't you think he look so much better are sprawled in bed, just waiting for some one to ravish him? And I never believe Sephiroth to be a seme sort. He's just too emotionally disturbed for that. [Better convince me that Cloud really loves Sephiroth in this story before I give you the pairing you want. 

Grand Lethal: Hm…wait a minute, do I know you? Are you nefersehgal? Sorry about taking so long to update…real life strikes back. [Argh, schoolwork really sucks.] Hm…I'll give Zack and Sephiroth another chance. But whether they will end up together or not depends on how willing I am to make Cloud suffer. *evil cackles*

So, here's the long-awaited Chapter 4!

***

_But the scars of memory never fade away  
I can't stop loving you  
Stop my tears  
Stop my loving  
Kill my memories_

_~ Silent Jealousy, X Japan_

"Forfeit the game before they put you out of it"; that was what they taught at SOLDIER. That was also something that Zack had never stood by. It made absolutely no sense to him to give up anything without a fight. But this time was different. 

He gave up. 

Sitting alone at the bar counter, he pulled his long coat closer to himself and signaled to the bartender for another drink. It was snowing heavily outside the inn, and even the bright lights and loud music of the Gold Saucer had failed to lift his spirits. 

"Hey buddy," the bartender smirked, pushing his tequila across the counter. "You don't look good. Just got dumped?" 

Zack remained silent, accepting the drink with a polite nod. It was his sixth shot in a roll already, the ex-SOLDIER noted as he mechanically placed his gloved palm over the small glass, lifted it up and slammed its base onto the plastic surface. 

"No, I dumped him first." Zack tilted his head back and drained his glass with one smooth movement. Who was he trying to convince? The bartender, or was it himself?

He ordered another drink. 

"Trying to knock yourself out?" Sephiroth teased, pulling back Zack's hand when the lieutenant asked for another shot. "Am I that bad a prospect?" 

Zack blinked away the apparition that the drunken haze had conjured up. 

"Of all things that I could see, it had to be him." Zack cursed bitterly, emptying another shot of tequila down his throat. 

"You dumped him **first**? You mean he was about to dump you?" The bartender probed further. Zack looked up, unconsciously tightening his hold on the glass. 

"Maybe." 

"You think he wants it?"  The bartender smirked, crossing his arms and on the bar counter and leaning forward. 

If looks could kill, there would have been a massacre at the pub already. But the other man only remained smiling. 

"Do you believe I can kill you?" Zack replied with a question of his own. The bartender continued to smile, as if that was all he knew, as if that was all he could do. Finally, he raised his hand and placed it on the right side of Zack's face gently, letting the feel of the cold metal sink into his skin. 

"No." 

"No?" Zack raised an eyebrow and brushed the hand away irritably. 

"You will not kill me. Because you would not reject the only person left to listen to you."

Zack kept silent for a while, a contemplative look spreading across his face. 

"Give me a few more shots, I need to be drunk enough to do this."

***

He sat on the bed, gasping for breath and looking around wildly until he felt a pair of arms embracing him.

"Oh God…not again…not again…" Sephiroth muttered, shaking his head to clear away the remnants of the nightmare. "I killed you…oh God, Zack…I killed you again…"

"Shh…" A hand stroked his long white hair gently, rocking his shaking body to and fro. "It's okay…he's still alive, Sephiroth. He's still alive…" 

This was the third night that Sephiroth had woken up in the middle of the night screaming his ex-lover's name. This was also the third night since they had moved out of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim to a small cozy cottage on the upper plate of Midgar that Zack had bought for him so many years ago. Sephiroth said he needed to be distracted from the painful memories that the mansion held for him, but after these three nights, Cloud was already getting apprehensive about moving to Zack's cottage. 

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, instinctively wiping the tears from his eyes. Cloud sighed softly, wishing that the other man would stop doing this. 

"I'm here, Sephiroth," he told the blind man, wondering once again what had possessed him to give in to Sephiroth's request. 

"Just be around, will you?" Sephiroth asked softly, burying his head deeper into Cloud's shoulders. His fingers tightened their grip on Cloud's shirt. 

"Just be around when I need you, like oxygen. Keep me alive…please…"

***

The two men tumbled clumsily into bed, their minds concentrating only on the contact of bare skin. He needed it. Just one night and he would convince himself that he could still go on. Just one night and he would be able to get on with his life and forget whatever that had happened to him during the war. 

"Your arm…" His partner asked, only to be silenced by the crashing of lips against lips. 

"Forget it, ignore it. You know what we both need, baby. Hurry," Zack said in between kisses, desperately depraving the stranger and himself of clothes. The act was quick, hurried, and desperate even. Both of them knew that they had to quench this thirst for sexual contact, or die trying. 

"Do me a favor," Zack pleaded as he pinned his partner's arms above his head, his hands reaching for the hardened member under those boxers. "Keep quiet." And he plunged into that tight hot cavern, pounding into their feverishly hot sensation. He was hurting the other man, but he did not care. Not like there were any protests anyway. 

The dark haired ex-SOLDIER growled when he finally found his release. As he wearily pulled his limp member out of the other's body and fell on his back beside the man on the cheap mattress, he wondered if he had found his peace. 

"Go back to him," the bartender turned around to lay on his side, tugging the white washed blanket up to cover his nude body. 

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Zack asked, throwing an arm across his eyes to hide his tears. Why? He had convinced himself that it was for the good of both Sephiroth and him that Zack stayed as far away from him as possible. So why was he hurting so much now? Why was it that even the touch of another could not heal the wound in his heart?

"Don't change the topic." 

Zack pushed himself up on the bed. Looking towards the window, he almost sighed as he took in the sight of the silver moon above. Silver was the color of his hair. He tried to shake away the memory of his lovely tormented angel looking at him through the thick glass of the lab cylinder. Had he made the right choice after all?

He got up from the bed and held out a hand to the man he had bedded just moments ago. 

"Come with me?" 

The bartender hesitated for a moment, surprise evident in his eyes, until he realized that Zack was simply looking for a support to depend on while he sort out his thoughts. 

"If you tell me your name first." The man demanded, hugging the soft pillow and looking up at Zack through half-dilated eyes. 

"Zack. Just Zack will do." 

He smiled, crawling up from his position on the bed and took Zack's hands. Shaking it, he offered his trademark grin. 

"Nice to meet you. The name's Jake. Just Jake will do too." 

What a strange thought. To introduce yourself to the man you just had sex with as if you were meeting him for the first time. Jake tilted his head to one side and beckoned for Zack to return to the bed. It would be a long day tomorrow. 

Whoever you are, Jake mused. You are a bloody lucky bastard to have a man like this in love with you. 

***

//Requesting for air clearance from control tower at 0949. This is x187664, I repeat. This is x187664. Please reply. Over. //

//This is control tower. Air clearance granted. Please land at runway 71. Over. //

//Roger //

Elena pulled off the headphones and leant back against the hard backed chair, wincing slightly as her spine protested. 

"With the sort of money they earn, surely they can afford better chairs than that." She muttered. It was during times like this when she thought that life might have been much better if the Turks still exist. But then again, with Reeve in charge of the Shinra now, there were no more dirty corrupted chores that the cooperation dabbled with. Hence, there was no need for the Turks, otherwise known as the evidence clean-up team, to exist anymore. 

"They can, but that doesn't mean they will spend the money on you." Elena spun around, instinctively reaching for the gun at her waist that was no longer there. Damn conditioned reflex, she thought. Overreacting at every single frickin' thing.

"Hi Reno," she relaxed again, raising an eyebrow at the redhead that just walked into the control room of Midgar International Airport. 

The redhead smirked at her, leaning against the side of the door with two tickets in his hand. 

"You free to go on a movie with me? I wanted to ask Rude, but God knows where that guy is."

Elena narrowed her eyes and pouted. 

"You don't have to tell me I'm the second choice, Reno."

"As a matter of fact, you were the last. Aside from Scarlet, of course." Reno pushed himself off the door and walked towards the girl. Green eyes widened when he noticed something on the screens of the room. 

"Fuck!" He shouted, hurrying to get a closer look, praying to whatever God up there that bothered to listen that he had not just seen what he thought he did. 

"What's wrong, Re—…Oh my god…" Elena held her breath, trembling in fear as she took in the side of the dark green object in the sky. Even in the poorly illuminated night sky she could see clearly the shiny cold surface of the creature. 

"Since when did that thing learn how to fly??!"

***

"Reeve, you know, I really wont mind if you will likely provide me with an explanation about what the hell is going on?!" The current President of Shinra cringed at the shrill voice, holding the phone further away from his ears. Sometimes the man really wished that he were really Cait Sith, where all he had to concern himself about was giving out fortune cookies at Gold Saucer. 

Closing his eyes, he pushed the stack of photos away from him and concentrated on calming the woman on the phone with him. 

"Relax, Scarlet. They are only rumors." 

"Like hell they are rumors! You weren't the one skinny-dipping when the Ruby WEAPON decides to invade your BACKYARD!"

"Skinny-dipping? Who were you skinny-dipping with? Really, tell me it's not Palmer or Heidigger. I don't think my poor innocent mind will be able to take it."

"That's not the problem!! What are you going to do about the WEAPONs??!!" 

Reeve massaged his tortured ears and took in a deep breath. He needed a vacation; probably a month alone at Costa de Sol sun tanning. Yes, now that sounded like a wonderful idea. 

"I will think about it, Scarlet dear. Leave it to me."

"You better! If the same shit with Jenova happened again, I make sure you become fish food!" Reeve nodded, unconcerned that the woman would not be able to see. "Oh, and Reeve?"

"Yes, Scarlet?"

"It was Palmer." And the line went dead. 

"Now, now, Scarlet," Reeve replaced the phone back onto its holder and returned to study the photos of the four painfully familiar creatures of doom he had on his desk. "I really **don't** have to know that."

---

+End of Chapter 4+

+Continue to Chapter 5+


	9. Chapter 5

**Dust and Bones | Chapter 5**

**A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko**

**Pairing: Zack + Sephiroth, Cloud + Sephiroth**

**This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft and its associates. **

**Warnings: Blood and gore. Yaoi. **

A/N: Sorry for making you guys wait so long, even after the fifth review was out. Oh well, I had lots of things on my mind these days. My ex just committed suicide because his last girlfriend (the one after me) dumped him or something like that. I was rather disturbed by it for a while, so...I apologize for the delay. *Bows* Anyway, here it is! Hope it is up to your expectations!

For this story and some others that I have been spending much time on, (Rain and Music Boxes from the Weiß Kreuz fandom, The Hope Diamond from the Angel Sanctuary fandom and Matrix: Restarted from the Matrix fandom), I have created a mailing list for updates, also known as raw drafts and plot bunnies that I randomly throw out. So if you want spoilers or anything like that, go ahead and join! You can give me some comments that you'd rather the rest of the world not see up there as well!

The URL is: 

Nadia: whoa! Didn't know I was so popular. But well, tell your friend that your review made five! So guess what, the next chapter's out~

Lamia1300: oh no, you can always comfort them...^^ *hands unhappy cuties plushies to lamia* and no, it's not a crime. At least I managed to take a nice few month long break?

Kathryn: storyline? What storyline? I'm just happily angsting these characters away. *Evil cackles* ok, I do have somewhat of a story line...just not very interested in indulging it other than the fact that I get more bloodshed. Can I shove Hojo's face in with a sledgehammer?

Mistressofterror: you have been a wonderful supporter so far! I hope my long hiatus had not taken your interest away from the fic. Yah, I agree that the palmer thing was bad...but I still think they deserve each other. *Snickers*

Grand Lethal: Jake and cloud? *Cringes* I'll think about it. I was still wondering what other use I have for the bartended before I kill him off or something like that...

---

Sephiroth made his way to the couch without much effort and sat down on the soft leather calmly. He was blind, but that did not make him anywhere close to helpless. Months of living in the Shinra mansion after his recovery from Mako poisoning and, not to forget, the hellish decades he had spent there had given him enough knowledge of the place to move around without much difficulty. 

Unless somebody sneaked in to rearrange the furniture, Sephiroth would not tip and fall gracelessly on his face. Not that it had any chance of happening. His already keen sense of hearing, thanks to Hojo and his perverse experiments, attuned by his loss of sight had made it virtually impossible for him to sleep in dead silence anymore. The sounds of a bug chirping in the tree, or the flapping of a bird's wings in the sky could be heard. What more would a man's footsteps be? It would take a wraith to approach him unaware. 

Cloud was out that day. Cait Sith and Cid had arrived that day before the Highwind to demand his immediate presence at Midgar. Sephiroth wondered what had been so urgent for Cloud to leave immediately. But whatever it was, it was not good news. 

_What could be worse than the fact that I'm still alive?_ The ex-General thought sardonically. Other than the reappearance of Jenova (which Sephiroth sincerely hope it would not be), the silver haired man could not come up with anything else. 

The man felt for the remote and turned on the television when he finally located it. It was the news, Sephiroth realized as he recognized the monotonous reading of the broadcaster. He leant back against the cushions, only to leap back onto his feet when a loud noise from his backyard startled him. 

Grabbing the Masamune off its rack, Sephiroth rushed out of the house, missing the terrible news that the broadcaster had just announced to the rest of the Planet. 

The WEAPONs were back. 

***

"The WEAPONs are what?" Cloud had all but yelled when he heard the news. He glared at each and every one present in the Shinra meeting room, almost daring someone to say it was a very bad joke. But all of them, ex-AVALANCHE members or not, had refused to meet his blue Mako eyes. They were either mentally measuring the distance between the cracks in the wooden table, or suddenly finding much interest in their fingernails.

"Tell me again," Cloud took a deep breath. "Very slowly this time: the WEAPONs are…?"

"Back." Reeves finished, wishing for the nth time that it were Cait Sith here instead of him. At least Cloud, powerful as he might be, could not kill an electronic cat or moogle. If only Reeves could say the same for his "immortality".

Cloud looked around the table once again, this time desperate for someone, anyone to refute whatever the President had said. But nobody spoke up at all. 

"Tifa…" But the girl kept silent, raising her head only long enough for the blonde man to see unshed tears of fear in her eyes. 

"But how…?" He slumped back into his chair, closing his eyes in resignation. "The WEAPONs are generated by the Planet to protect herself against extreme threats." Cloud muttered, as if remembering something from a grad school history textbook, void and unfeeling. "Extreme threats such as…the awakening of Jenova…"

There was no time for the table to respond. Almost immediately after Cloud's revelation, a Shinra executive burst into the meeting room, a panicked expression on his face. 

"Mister President! The news! It's on the news!"

Grim look on his face, Vincent Valentine grabbed the remote off the desk and turned on the television. Greeting their eyes were the images they did not want the public to see under possible circumstances. 

The news was indeed out. 

***

Sephiroth controlled the impulse to run to the nearest bush and retched out his lunch. The foul stench in the air was overwhelming. It smelled like decomposing flesh, and painfully like one of Hojo's experiments gone wrong. Even without looking, Sephiroth knew whatever monster it was that had landed in his backyard; it was not anything pleasant to the eyes. 

A faint tickle was felt at the back of his mind. A soft voice that sounded so gentle, so endearing and so familiar. It was a mother's touch. But it was also a mother that Sephiroth would love to disown. 

_My son…you must return to me…to snatch the Planet back from those who took it from us!_ Jenova hissed.

Sephiroth unsheathed the Masamune and held it out to the direction where the stench was coming from. 

"I will not return!" He yelled. 

Then suffer my wrath…cursed the child who turns from his mother… 

"You are not my mother!" The tickle in his mind had escalated into a hard throbbing pain. Jenova's wrath was indeed on him. It would be easy, so easy for him to return back to where he came from. He could choose to fight on his mother's side again in this war, but he would not. 

What had this so-called mother given him other than heartaches and misery? For her he had turned against Mankind, for her he had gave up whatever he had, and it was also for her that he had brought the sword down on his lover. She had destroyed everything in his life. Now just as he was trying to put the pieces back together again and spend the rest of his days in peace, she had returned with the intent for more devastation. 

His battle plan for this war was to sit it out until it was all over, or until he was dead. Whichever that would happen first. But if he had to fight, this time, he would make sure that he was on the right side of the battlefield. 

Finally, the pain was too much to bear. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground beside it. Hands clutching tight at the sides of his head while the nauseating stench surrounded him. He could feel his resolve breaking. Every cell in him wanted to embrace the monster before him and pledge his eternal loyalty to her. 

He was falling under a mother's spell. 

"SEPH!" The white haired man instinctively turned towards the voice. The air around him quickened slightly as an Ice 3 spell was cast. Sephiroth smiled. 

_In this madness, you are my only guiding light, Colonel Zachary. _

"Be gone, Jenova. He is not yours!" More footsteps and a soft gasp. Sephiroth frowned. There was somebody else with Zack, somebody that he did not know. Or at least, he did not remember knowing. 

"What the hell is that?!" 

"Stay back, Jake." Zack spat at the creature before him. Cold green slime slipped off the lump of bloodied flesh and onto the floor. It was the most ugly thing that Zack had ever seen in his entire life. It was a composition of centuries of hatred, suppression and anger. 

It was Jenova, the cause for Sephiroth's pain. 

Zack made a quick check of the Materia he had with him. Taking out a summon Materia, he slotted the crystal into an empty slot on his broad sword. It might not be strong enough to destroy Jenova totally. But it should be more than enough to make her retreat. 

Beside him, Sephiroth picked up his sword from off the grass and readied himself for battle. Zack grinned. It was just like the old times when they were still in SOLDIER. Fighting side by side, watching out for each other before this thing came and tore their love apart. 

"You have Odin?" Sephiroth whispered. 

"Yeah."

"Good." That was all the signal Zack needed to summon the Guardian while Sephiroth charged at the slime ball, dishing out attack after attack to give his partner the time he needed to complete the summon. 

A bright light was released and Odin appeared. A loud shrill screech filled the air as Jenova burst into many pieces. But she would return. 

Jake nearly screamed as part of the green slime fell on his bare skin and burnt into it, only keeping silent to reduce attention to him. He gritted his teeth to examine the burnt mark carefully, glad to see that it was fading slowly. What harm could slime do?

The brown-eyed bartender smiled wistfully to turn his attention to the scene before him: the reunion of two lovers. 

"You are back." Sephiroth took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and casually wiped his sword with it, slowly so as not to cut himself. 

"That I am." Zack replied. Guilt filled his eyes as he took in the appearance of his lover. The other man had lost much weight. The dark eye rings under those beautiful glazed eyes told of many nightmares pervading the General's sleep at night. Even blind, Sephiroth could not hide from the images that his heart provided.

What nightmares did you have, Sephiroth? The same as mine? Then again, I have many of them to choose from. 

"Are you going to stay this time?" To others, Sephiroth was the perfect role model of calm. Only someone as close to him as Zack had could see the mask gradually crumbling into pieces. 

"I certainly hope so. I will if you want me to." The dark haired man took Sephiroth's hand and placed it on his right cheek. "I am no longer a human, Seph. Are you willing to accept the less than perfect me?"

To Zack's surprise, a light laugh erupted from the silver angel's lips. Sephiroth allowed a wide grin to spread across his face as he buried himself into his lover's arms. He did not even notice the sweet tear of joy that had trickled down his cheekbone. 

"I love you." He said simply. 

***

Deep inside his cold dungeon laboratory, Hojo tightened his grip around a beaker until cracks began to form on the glass. His creation, his pet was destroyed by his son and his cyborg lover. 

But it was okay. The mad scientist glanced around his laboratory, grinning at his prized creations, lying dormant in their glass cylinders. 

He had more than enough to play with. 

You want to play hardball, Sephiroth? May the better man win.

+End of Chapter 5+

+Continue to Chapter 6+


	10. Chapter 6

Dust and Bones | Chapter 6 

**A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko**

**Pairing: Zack + Sephiroth, Cloud + Sephiroth**

**Warnings: Blood and gore. Yaoi.**

**This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft and its associates. **

A/N: 

---

Zack paced nervously around the sitting room of the mansion, and he had every right to be pacing. It was not an everyday affair where one had both his current lover and ex-lover with him under the same roof, with the former napping nonchalantly on the couch and the latter talking over his Portable Hand Set with **his** current lover. 

Sephiroth was standing by the window, speaking to Cloud while looking out at the front porch, thought not really looking. He was in a daze, moving on autopilot as he explained Jenova's little house visit to the blond man. Cloud took in the information dumbly, not wanting to make any comments until the shock wore off. First the confidential information was leaked out to the media by an unknown source, then the reappearance of Jenova in his backyard. Their initial suspicion was correct. The WEAPONs had returned and evolved into a more lethal form because their greatest enemy had done the same. The 'why' part was settled. It was only the 'how' part that they were not sure of, though there was really only one possibility for it: Hojo. 

Hojo was still alive and causing mayhem somewhere, possibly too close for comfort, given that Jenova managed to arrive at the Shinra mansion in style, not causing any panic on the way. Cloud sighed. This was the second time they had to fight against Hojo and his extraterrestrial extensions. Even though Sephiroth was on their side this time, he still could not do much help blind. 

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, worried by the sudden silence on the other side of the terminal. "You there?" 

"Yeah…" The white haired man contemplated briefly about telling him Zack's sudden return and quickly decided against it. There were more pressing matters at hand for Cloud to handle. 

"Cloud," Sephiroth started again, slipping into old habits this time due to the imminent war. "You need to regroup AVALANCHE and the Turks. We need all the help we can get now."

Zack snapped his head up at the sudden change in tone, wanting to comment but know better than to interrupt Sephiroth when he was in General mode. Finally, Sephiroth ended the connection and turned around. 

"You know as well as I do what this means, Seph." Old military training was hard to kick. Within minutes they had not only arrive at the conclusion Cloud had, they had also listed the possible locations of Hojo's base too. As Jenova could not possibly travel long distances without risking meeting the WEAPONs nor could Hojo get his hands on an airship for transportation les he attracts some unwarranted attention, there were only so many places he could be. 

First and foremost being the Nibelheim reactors, his old experimentation spot. 

Sephiroth nodded and made his way to the couch, taking out a dagger from his pockets. He sat down and woke the snoozing bartender. 

Jake jerked awake at the nudge, saw the glint of the blade and scurried backwards a little. 

"What do you think you are doing?" Zack exclaimed. Sephiroth only smiled. 

"He's infected by Jenova," he answered, pointing the tip of the dagger at Jake who only paled further. Zack shook his head. He knew Sephiroth. When he was in General mode, he would not joke about things like these. _Not like he jokes about them even when he wasn't in that mode. _

He took the blade from Sephiroth and grabbed for Jake's hand, cutting a long but not particularly deep wound on his palm. Jake gasped. Instead of healthy red blood, a slimy green substance oozed out of the wound. 

"How's it?" Sephiroth asked, holding out his hand for his dagger back. "There's only one way to cure this." Without any hesitation, Sephiroth slit the blade against his own wrist. 

"What are you doing?" Jake yelled. "You will be poisoned too!" Sephiroth only smiled and shook his head. 

"No, my blood is an anti-toxin. In the last war I fought alongside Jenova and Hojo. In order for me to operate in the best condition, I was injected with enough anti-toxin to kill whatever poison Jenova could use." The blind man nudged his bleeding wrist against Jake's lips. "I don't know who you are. But drink it if you don't want to die."

Jakes shifted his eyes from Sephiroth to Zack and then began to lick tentatively at the blood. The first drip that touched his tongue was like heaven. He felt cleansed as the foreign monster in him struggled and died. He kept licking until the blood began to clot before he stopped. 

Zack watched all these with avid interest, at the same time, knowing what it all meant. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around Sephiroth's injured hand, not caring for the absurdity of bandaging such an insubstantial wound. It gave him something to do, while he digested the information Sephiroth was trying to pass on subtly. 

Sephiroth's blood could kill Jenova. It was probably the only way to destroy her completely. But in order to do so, Sephiroth had to bleed. Perhaps more than he could afford to. 

The white haired man gently tugged his hand away when he sensed that Zack was done. He cradled one hand with the other and lowered his head briefly, as if ashamed to let others see his face. 

The three men sat in silence. 

***

Reeve spread a world map across the conference table and looked at his party. 

"This," he pointed at a spot on the map, "is the Shinra mansion." 

"And this," he swiveled their focus to four marked crosses, "is where the WEAPONs were last sighted."

They did not want to do this. It was tough, for all of them. The last war had taken much out of them, losing loved ones, losing their homeland, having to turn against those that they loved and trusted. Pain, hate, fire and betrayal had tainted the memories of their life. But now, fate dished another pile of shit at their doorstep. 

As if one war was not enough. They need to fight two. Some of them…Yuffie bit on her thumbnail nervously…had to experience three. 

Cid stood up angrily. "Isn't it obvious?" he glanced around at the rest of the people in the room. All of them were looking at him with a wide-eyed confused look on their faces, except for Vincent Valentine who was sitting in a chair at the far end with his head down. The pilot almost let out a snort. Children. 

Finally, Tifa asked the question that everybody was dying to ask but dared not. "What was obvious?" Cid sighed. Sometimes it was easy to forget that while they had been through more things in their life that most people had, they were still children without the military, tactical training to see what should have been glaringly obvious.

"Can't you tell where Hojo is?" He finally asked. Just like he had expected, faces of blank confusion turned to look at him, wide innocent eyes blinking profusely. 

"Nibelheim." Everybody turned to stare at Vincent, who had remained silent since the beginning of the gathering until now. "The Mako reactors at Nibelheim. That's the only place he could be."

The silence was deafening, the temperature in the room seemed to have fallen ten degrees or so. Cloud buried his face into his hands and groaned. If given a choice, he would have rather kept the war away from Sephiroth, as far as possible. All around him, plans were quickly thrown out, whatever that was remaining of the Turks were quickly contacted. It was decided, they would move off to Nibelheim, using the mansion as their base before launching an all out attack at Hojo and his petty little creations. 

Tifa glanced frantically between the rest of the party and Cloud. Her eyes locked with Cid's for a moment, both knowing what had to be done but not knowing who to do it. But fortunately for them, Cloud withdrew his head from his hands and made the decision for them. 

"Sephiroth was alive." 

Silence fell once more. Cloud cleared his throat and repeated. 

"Sephiroth was alive…I saved him…and he's now living in the mansion." 

Tifa gritted her teeth and added what Cloud had left out. 

"Colonel Zachary is alive too."

***

End of Chapter 6

Continue to Chapter 7


End file.
